ShareMary Winspear Centre Presents Classical Spring 2025
Penderecki String Quartet
Tuesday, March 11
Doors 7pm Show 7:30pm
Series Ticket $120
Single Ticket $47.00
Celebrating their 38th anniversary, the Penderecki String Quartet is based in Waterloo, Ontario where they have been Quartet-in-Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University since 1991. Originating from Poland, Canada, and USA, they bring their varied yet collective experience to create performances that demonstrate their “remarkable range of technical excellence and emotional sweep” (Toronto Globe and Mail). The PSQ's international performing schedule has included appearances in New York (Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Hong Kong (Academy for the Arts), Los Angeles (REDCAT Hall at Disney Center), St. Petersburg (Sheremetev Palace), the Adam Festival in New Zealand, and throughout Europe in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Belgrade, Prague, Krakow, Vilnius, and Zagreb. The PSQ has also toured extensively in Mexico, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, and from coast to coast in Canada. The PSQ’s large discography includes over three dozen recordings including the chamber music repertoire of Beethoven and Brahms as well as the first Canadian release of the six Béla Bartók quartets. Their disc of Marjan Mozetich’s “Lament in the Trampled Garden” won the 2010 JUNO Award for Best Composition, and most recently they were nominated for a 2023 JUNO for their jazz album “Blue” with Diana Panton and Don Thompson. In October 2013, the PSQ worked with Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki on his Third Quartet (2008) and performed it at Symphony Space in New York City on the occasion of his 80th birthday. This followed with the recording of Penderecki’s Third Quartet along with quartets of Norbert Palej on the Marquis label. In 2022, the PSQ was featured in Howard Shore’s soundtrack to David Cronenberg’s film Crimes of the Future. Dedicated educators, the PSQ have been recent guests at Bloomington Indiana University’s String Academy, the Beijing Conservatory, University of Southern California (Los Angeles), and with their partner universities in Osnabrück, Germany and Lyon, France.
Jeremy Bell, violin
Jerzy Kaplanek, violin
Christine Vlajk, viola
Katie Schlaikjer, cello
"Classical" Spring 2025
Join us this spring 2025 for a curated collection of three performances that showcase the diversity of classical music, some even pressing on the boundaries of what we might think of as classical.
We begin in March with storyteller Tom Allen's chamber musical "JS Bach's Long Walk in the Snow", an evocative telling of a 400km tale Johann Sebastian Bach took as a teenager, with music drawn both from Bach's own works and also the music he would have heard on his travels. You may already be familiar with Tom Allen as a presenter on CBC Music, and be assured that his storytelling is just as thrilling in person, if not more.
Next we welcome the Penderecki String Quartet, one of the most celebrated chamber ensembles of their generation. To this day, they are devoted champions of the music of our time, having premiered over 100 new works from composers in Canada and abroad. The four Penderecki musicians (now originating from Poland, Canada, and USA) bring their varied yet collective experience to create performances that demonstrate their “remarkable range of technical excellence and emotional sweep” (Toronto, Globe and Mail).
And then in April, please join us for virtuosic showpieces and romantic ballads, blazing Romani tunes and forgotten chestnuts, all brought to life with multi-instrument mastery: this is Quartetto Gelato - a popular and highly unusual classical quartet. This dazzling ensemble has enchanted audiences and critics worldwide with their passion, humour, and stage presence. In short, Quartetto Gelato is a unique ensemble that stands out in the classical crossover genre, offering an energetic and highly entertaining blend of musical styles that appeal to a wide range of music lovers.
Just as you'll certainly enjoy one of these concerts, we expect you'll enjoy all three. Whether you're a lifelong fan of classical music or just starting to explore its depths, you'll appreciate the way each concert enriches your experience of the next - and you'll also enjoy the savings! Buy tickets to all three concerts today, and you'll save 15% on tickets!