Fine Arts Quartet

The Fine Arts Quartet has just recorded 3 rareties by "Golden Age" master violinist-composers: the world premiere recording of Efrem Zimbalist's Quartet in E Minor in its 1959 revised edition; the world premiere digital recording of Eugène Ysaÿe's long-lost masterpiece for quartet and string orchestra, "Harmonies du Soir"; and Fritz Kreisler's Quartet in A Minor. Sessions took place 26-30 April, 2010 at the library of Wittem Monastery (Klooster Wittem), The Netherlands. For the Ysaÿe work, the Fine Arts Quartet was joined by the Streichersolisten der Deutsch-Niederländischen KammerPhilharmonie, conducted by Otis Klöber. This CD will be the Fine Arts Quartet's 10th recording for Naxos. See Naxos News story about the recording.

During the summer of 2010, the Fine Arts Quartet has been appearing in many of Europe's most renowned festivals: Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Lille's Festival Clef de Soleil, Festival Internacional de Música da Póvoa de Varzim, Le Festival de Musique de Musicalta, Fêtes Musicales de Savoie, Nuits Musicales de Mazaugues, Festival Musicales Internationales Guil Durance, Academia Internacional de Musica de Solsona, and the Festival du Périgord Noir.

The Fine Arts Quartet’s Fauré CD with pianist Cristina Ortiz was among the recordings for which musical producer Steven Epstein won a a 2009 Grammy® Award (Producer of the Year, Classical). The other recordings were: Yo-Yo Ma & Friends' Songs Of Joy And Peace; the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra's (David Robertson) Doctor Atomic Symphony by John Adams; the Nashville Symphony Orchestra's (Leonard Slatkin) Dylan Thomas Trilogy by Corigliano; and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's (Marin Alsop) Mass by Bernstein.

FAQ recordings of the two Saint-Saëns String Quartets (Op.112, Op.153) to be released by Naxos in digital form, online, in September, 2010, and in CD form in April, 2011. See Naxos News story about the recording session.

FAQ recordings of three Beethoven String Quintets (Op.29, 104, 137) with violist Gil Sharon were released by Naxos in June, 2010.
See Naxos News story about the recording session. For details on this CD: Naxos.

FAQ recordings of Shostakovich Quartets No.1,4,8 to be released by the Lyrinx label in 2010.

FAQ wins a "Best of Milwaukee 2009" Award for "Best Classical Music Ensemble" (November 16, 2009).

FAQ recordings of the Franck String Quartet and Piano Quintet with pianist Cristina Ortiz were released by Naxos at the end of October, 2009. See Naxos News story about the recording session. For details on this CD: Naxos.

Naxos interview with FAQ first violinist Ralph Evans, October 21, 2009.

Ralph Evans, Efim Boico, and Wolfgang Laufer, the three Fine Arts Quartet artists who are celebrating a quarter-century of touring together, are pleased to announce that violist Nicolò Eugelmi joined the Quartet in July, 2009.

FAQ recordings of the two Fauré Piano Quintets with pianist Cristina Ortiz were released by Naxos in June, 2009.
See Naxos News story about the recording session. For details on this CD: Naxos.

During the summer of 2009, the Fine Arts Quartet appeared in many of Europe's most renowned festivals: the Naantali Festival, Festival Pablo Casals de Prades, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Le Festival Berlioz, Festival Internacional de Música Pau Casals, Festival l'été Musical en Bergerac, Lille's Festival Clef de Soleil, and the Festival de Musique de Pontlevoy.

FAQ recordings of the complete Bruckner chamber music were released by Naxos in December, 2008.
See Naxos News story about the recording session. For details on this CD: Naxos.

FAQ recordings of complete early Beethoven String Quartets Op.18 were released in October, 2008 on the Lyrinx label in SACD
(Super Audio Compact Disc) format. For details on this CD: SA-CD

The great cellist George Sopkin, who founded the Fine Arts Quartet along with Leonard Sorkin in 1946, died on October 28, 2008 at the age of 94. Here are obituaries in the Bangor News and in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, and a list of Sopkin recordings.

The Fine Arts Quartet was Quartet-in-Residence at the Stradivari Foundation's annual celebration of stringed instruments and performers in Cremona, Italy, September 26 - October 4, 2008.

Listen to Podcast: Four American Quartets (Aug 4, 2008) by Raymond Bisha, a Naxos classical music spotlight on the new Fine Arts Quartet recording of four string quartets by American composers: Philip Glass, George Antheil, Bernard Hermann, and Ralph Evans.

FAQ recording of "Four American Quartets" by Antheil, Herrmann, Glass, Evans, released by Naxos in July, 2008, was selected for the 2009 Grammy Awards Entry list in the "Best Classical Album" category. See Naxos News story about the recording session.
For details on this CD: Naxos.

The Fine Arts Quartet and artists from the Festival Pablo Casals de Prades performed on a Baltic music festival cruise on-board the luxurious Regent Seven Seas Voyager. In addition to concerts at sea, the cruise, July 15-26, 2008, included visits to Stockholm, Tallinn, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Riga, Gdansk, Copenhagen, Kalmar, Klaipeda, and Szczecin.

During the summer of 2008, the FAQ appeared in some of Europe's most distinguished concert series: the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, the Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Les Nuits Musicales du Suquet in Cannes, Le Festival de Quatuors à Cordes du Luberon,
Le Festival Clef du Soleil in Lille, and Le Festival de Musique en Bourbonnais.

FAQ recording of the complete Mendelssohn String Quintets Op.18 and Op.87, released by Naxos in May, 2008, was named a Musicweb International "Recording of the Year 2008" and was selected for the 2009 Grammy Awards Entry list in the "Best Classical Album" category. This CD includes the first known recording of Mendelssohn's Minuetto in F-Sharp Minor movement, composed for the Quintet Op.18 but later replaced by a different movement before the Quintet was published. See Naxos News story about the recording session. For details on this CD: Naxos.

During the summer of 2007, the FAQ appeared in many of Europe's most renowned festivals: the Naantali Festival, Festival Pablo Casals de Prades, Festival de Quatuors à Cordes du Luberon, Festival International de Musique de Besançon, Fêtes Musicales de Savoie, Amalfi Coast Music Festival, Festival de Musique de Menton.

FAQ recording of the Glazunov Five Novelettes and String Quintet, released by Naxos in March, 2007, was named a Musicweb International "Recording of the Year 2007". For details on this CD: Naxos.

FAQ recordings of complete Schumann String Quartets released by Naxos in December, 2006, was named "one of the very finest chamber-music recordings of the year" by the American Record Guide in 2007 and was selected for the 50th Grammy Awards Entry List (2008) in two categories: "Best Classical Album" and "Best Chamber Music Performance". For details on this CD: Naxos.

Major profile of FAQ by renowned author/journalist Jessica Duchen appears in December, 2006 issue of The Strad Magazine.

Wisconsin Public Radio WUWM interview with FAQ first violinist Ralph Evans, November, 2006.

FAQ's live performance of the Mozart Quartet K.464 (3rd & 4th movements) selected for NPR broadcast (recorded June 3, 2005 at the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego).

Each July, the Fine Arts Quartet performs at the magnificent Amalfi Coast Music & Arts Festival based in Vietri sul Mare, Italy, on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. Guests attend concerts and master classes, and take advantage of the many educational offerings at the festival, such as art courses, Italian language classes, cooking lessons, and excursions to the area's famous monuments and cultural sites.