Cairn String Quartet Competitors

The Aspen Music Festival and School is America's premier classical music festival, presenting a unique combination of top professionals and student musicians. Alumni include Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, and Edgar Meyer. More information at www.aspenmusicfestival.com

Founded in 1989, the SLSQ continues to build its reputation for imaginative and spontaneous music making through an energetic commitment to the great established quartet literature as well as the championing of new works by such composers as John Adams, Osvaldo Golijov, Ezequiel Viñao, and Jonathan Berger. Lesley Robertson and Geoff Nuttall are founding members of the group and hail from Edmonton, Alberta, and London, Ontario, respectively. Christopher Costanza is from Utica, New York, and joined the group in 2003. Owen Dalby, returning to his native Bay Area roots, began his first season in 2015. Together, the musicians perform over 120 concerts annually and call Stanford University their home.

The Pacifica Quartet makes its long-awaited debut at the 92nd Street Y in New York City on December 9. The unique program, entitled "Last Words," showcases the versatility of the ensemble and features the final quartets by three composers spanning 200 years. Works include Carter's Fragments and his String Quartet No. 5, Janáek's Intimate Letters, and Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op.