February 15, 2010

Borealis String Quartet. Download image.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB's Alys Stephens Center will present the Borealis String Quartet with special guest pianist Yakov Kasman at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 4 in the center, 1200 10th Ave. South. Tickets are $35; $20 for students. Call 205-975-2787 or go to www.AlysStephens.org.

The Borealis String Quartet is an audience favorite at the ASC. The quartet teamed with Kasman  -Van Cliburn Competition winner, UAB artist-in-residence and associate professor of piano - in 2007 for a sold-out performance, which The Birmingham News called "chamber music at its most visceral."

Kasman has garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences across the country with his brilliant performances. Since his American debut as the silver medalist in the 10th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997, Kasman has performed concerts in the United States, Russia, Europe and Asia and appeared as soloist with more than 40 orchestras. Active as a chamber musician, he has collaborated with the Manhattan, Parissi, Charleston, Shanghai, Tokyo and Talich string quartets. Kasman will join the Borealis - Patricia Shih, violin; Yuel Yawney, violin; Nikita Pogrebnoy, viola and Shih-Lin Chen, cello - for a performance of the Medtner Piano Quintet.

Yakov Kasman. Download image.

The Borealis String Quartet has received critical acclaim as an ensemble for its fiery performances, passionate style and refined, musical interpretation. The quartet has received enthusiastic acclaim from audiences in cities including Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York. Recent performances have included tours of Mexico, Taiwan and North America.

Devoted to performing other chamber music repertoire, the Borealis has collaborated with many different artists. In addition, the quarter also has worked and collaborated with members of the Borodin, Emerson and Tokyo string quartets. As string quartet-in-residence at the University of British Columbia, the Borealis presents a series of concerts and gives master classes and chamber music coaching each season in addition to its international performances and regional outreach activities.

This show is part of the Birmingham Chamber Music Society Series and is sponsored by the Birmingham Chamber Music Society, Jeanne Hutchison, Burr & Forman, Ben and Jessica Johnson, Alabama State Council on the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, The Birmingham News, WBHM and Viva Health.

About UAB's Alys Stephens Center

UAB's Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center is one of the Southeast's premier performing arts centers, hosting the best in international, national and local performance. Home to the UAB departments of Theatre and Music and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, the ASC also presents its own season, bringing the world's best music, dance, theater, comedy and family entertainment to Alabama.