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! ! “…vitalizing the Chicago scene in a big way.” The Chicago Tribune “...a spine-tingling interpretation ... hands down one of the most impressive performances of the year.” Time Out Chicago ! ! www.spektralquartet.com ! ! Contact: Austin Wulliman, Violinist and Co-Artistic Director [email protected] 574-238-1333 ! ! ! ! !
About the SPEKTRAL QUARTET Clara Lyon and Austin Wulliman, violins Doyle Armbrust, viola Russell Rolen, cello
Since its inception, the Spektral Quartet has sought out the discourse between the great works of the traditional canon and those written this decade, this year, or this week. Creating connections across centuries, the group further invites its listeners in through charismatic deliveries, interactive concert formats, an up-close atmosphere, and bold, inquisitive programming.
The ensemble is regarded for its forward-thinking endeavors including the Mobile Miniatures project, which rallied more than forty composers from across the US including David Lang, Augusta Read Thomas, Nico Muhly and Shulamit Ran to write ringtone-length pieces for download to mobile devices. In addition to finding vehicles for bringing classical music into everyday life, the Spektral Quartet prioritizes immersion and inclusivity through close- proximity seating and delivers the majority of its Chicago concerts in vibrant, unconventional venues.
As ardent advocates for composers within its home city, the group recorded its debut album, Chambers (Parlour Tapes+), in 2013 featuring works by Hans Thomalla, Marcos Balter, LJ White, Chris Fisher-Lochhead, and Ben Hjertmann. That same season saw the release of the South American jazz and tango-themed From This Point Forward (Azica Records), with bandoneon/accordion virtuoso Julien Labro and saxophone luminary Miguel Zenón. Spektral Quartet appears on Swiss violin soloist Rachel Kolly d’Alba’s 2015 record, Fin de siècle (Aparté), performing Ernest Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet and will be featured on upcoming albums from composers Augusta Read Thomas and Ryan Ingebritsen. January 2016 marks the unveiling of the group’s fourth full-length album, Serious Business (Sono Luminus), an illumination of humor in classical music including Josef Haydn’s “The Joke” quartet and inventive new commissions from Dave Reminick, Sky Macklay, and Chris Fisher-Lochhead.
Keen on frequently treading outside the lines of classical music, Spektral Quartet partnered with avant-pop artist Julia Holter in the 2014/15 season for composer Alex Temple’s Behind the Wallpaper at the Ecstatic Music Festival in NYC and the Liquid Music series in St. Paul, MN. In 2015/16, the ensemble invigorates its ongoing collaboration with Julien Labro, and will team up with GRAMMY-winning jazz artist Billy Childs for the esteemed Jazz at the Logan series at the University of Chicago.
Titled UP CLOSE, the Spektral Quartet’s 2015/16 season is studded with new works from composers like Hans Thomalla, Morgan Krauss, Mikel Kuehn, Ryan Ingebritsen, Tomas Gueglio Saccone, and Anthony Cheung as well as cornerstones of the string quartet repertoire by Beethoven, Schubert, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn, and Bartók. Season highlights on the road include a residency with the JACK Quartet at Stanford University, a teaching residency at the New World Symphony, and an appearance with flutist Claire Chase on the University of Maryland's Common Tone series.
The Spektral Quartet proudly serves as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago.
PRESS for SPEKTRAL QUARTET
Chicago Tribune “…vitalizing [the Chicago] scene in a big way.”
TimeOut Chicago “…a spine-tingling interpretation … hands down one of the most impressive performances of the year.”
Chicago Magazine “[they] seem to be able to play anything and work with anyone…”
The New York Times "The quartet played attentively, poised or just harsh enough, savoring the suspense; none of the new pieces overstayed. They were confident miniatures, rich in implications."
Chicago Classical Review “The Spektral ensemble has a special knack for finding a satisfying balance of style, soul and seriousness.”
Seen and Heard International “What distinguished this effort from others in the “classical-plus-whatever” genre is the Spektral musicians’ technical expertise.”
Chicago Tribune “Chambers [is] a mind-blowing array of new sonic explorations”
Elgin Courier-News “For the next two hours, the artists of Spektral Quartet delivered one amazing performance after another, challenging our notions of what to expect from a string quartet, and pushing the boundaries of what’s musically possible.”
South Bend Tribune “The Spektral Quartet is a chamber group for the new millennium.”
Miami Herald “With perfectly coordinated entrances and silences, Spektral’s mature, passionate rendition had the purity and precision of a Mozart overture.”
WQXR: Q2 Music “New Yorkers should brace themselves for a pang of envy. Listening to "Chambers," the inaugural release from both the Spektral Quartet and their fellow Chicagoans at the Parlour Tapes+ label, one could hardly imagine a more promising debut from either.”
Chicago Reader “...[Spektral Quartet is] leading the charge toward progressive, high-caliber contemporary classical, reinventing the concept of chamber music...”
WQXR: Q2 Music “One of the coolest and craziest new-music projects of the year came from Chicago’s Spektral Quartet. In March 2014, the ensemble blew up in pockets everywhere with "Mobile Miniatures" – over 45 ringtones, alarms and mobile alerts commissioned from a who’s who of outside-the-box 21st Century music makers…”