Join us for a musical journey with a taste of Austrian chocolate and wine during the EUNIC (EU National Institutes for Culture in Washington DC) series Music and Chocolate: Tastes & Sounds of Europe.
The Austrian Cultural Forum Washington DC proudly presents the Chaos String Quartet, which is part of NASOM 2023/24 (The New Austrian Sound of Music) and was also selected as a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist 2023-2025. The ensemble’s musical program in Washington DC includes two Viennese classics: Mozart’s uplifting String Quartet No. 17 in B-flat Major, K. 458, nicknamed “The Hunt”, alongside Beethoven’s grandiose String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131. The musicians will also perform “Une étoile dansante”, a piece written and dedicated to them by Diego Conti.
Founded in 2019 on the principles of chaos in the arts, science and philosophy, the Chaos String Quartet has rapidly established itself in the international music scene. The ensemble has played at international music festivals and concert halls, such as the Musikverein Wien, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Philharmonie de Paris, and won awards at prestigious international competitions, including Bad Tölz (2023), Haydn (2023), ARD (2022) and Bordeaux (2022). Besides its classical music career, the quartet enjoys developing its own projects to make its repertoire more approachable and available to a diverse audience.
The concert will be followed by a taste of Austrian chocolate and an Austrian wine reception.
ABOUT THE SERIES
Music & Chocolate: Tastes and Sounds of Europe
November 11 - December 12, 2024
EUNIC Member countries present the project Music and Chocolate: Tastes & Sounds of Europe this fall. Like the many nuances of chocolate, music is bold, sweet, diverse and surprising. Utilizing the sense of taste and sound, we bring an experience for the senses that will highlight the rich, diverse and beautiful layers of European music. From classical to jazz and beyond, we pair inspiring melodies with a flair of chocolate.
Participating countries: Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Susanne Schäffer | Violin
Born into a musical household, Hungarian-German violinist Susanne Schäffer studied with Dr. Felix Andrievsky in London and Prof. Dora Schwarzberg at the MDW in Vienna, where she graduated with distinction. She completed her studies in chamber music with Prof. Johannes Meissl at her alma mater in Vienna. Her additional musical mentors include such artists as Hatto Beyerle, Gerhard Schulz, Ferenc Rados and Steven Isserlis. A prizewinner at renowned national and international music competitions, Schäffer regularly performs as a soloist and chamber musician, including on concert tours throughout Europe, Israel, Venezuela, the USA and Japan. Moreover, Susanne is a welcomed guest at prestigious festivals such as the Cully Classique Festival, the ISA Festival, and IMS Prussia Cove. She regularly appears on television, and on broadcast and has recorded several CDs. Susanne Schäffer plays a violin by Carlo Giuseppe Testore (c. 1710), kindly on loan from the MERITO String Instruments Trust.
Eszter Kruchió | Violin
Eszter Kruchió started playing the violin at the age of five. Born in 1993 in Budapest and brought up in Vienna, she studied with Ernst Kovacic (Vienna), Tanja Becker-Bender (Hamburg) and Ulf Schneider (Hanover), currently in the postgraduate Solo Performance Class. She received further important musical impulses from Oliver Wille, Eberhard Feltz, Ralf Gothóni, Rita Wagner, Ferenc Rados and Péter Eötvös, among others. As a winner of several national and international prizes, Eszter has had the chance to perform as a chamber music partner of Thomas Riebl, Tanja Becker-Bender, Péter Nagy, István Várdai and Claudio Martínez-Mehner, as well as with the Castalian, Berlin-Tokyo and Van Kuijk String Quartets. She is a frequent participant in festivals and masterclasses such as Encuentro de Santander, the Davos Festival – Young Artists in Concert, Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker and IMS Prussia Cove. Eszter plays on a violin by Stefan-Peter Greiner, a generous private loan.
Sara Marzadori | Viola
Italian violist Sara Marzadori studied with Antonello Farulli in Bologna and Thomas Riebl in Salzburg before earning her master’s degree in 2017 from the Mozarteum Salzburg in the classes of William Coleman and Veronika Hagen. Furthermore, she studied quartet chamber music with Walter Levin and Oliver Wille in Basel and Hannover, respectively, and received further musical training from Bruno Giuranna, Kim Kashkashian, among others. Marzadori became a regular member of Orchestra Mozart under the direction of Claudio Abbado after having been admitted to the Orchestra Academy at age 15 and was a member of the EUYO, the Gustav Mahler Academy as well as the Luzern Academy. Sara won prizes at several instrumental and chamber music competitions and plays regularly with the Camerata Salzburg, Orchestra Leonore, Spira Mirabilis and the Haydn Philharmonic.
Bas Jongen | Cello
Born in the Netherlands, Bas Jongen studied cello in Amsterdam and Zagreb before completing his undergraduate studies with Reinhard Latzko at the MDW in Vienna. In 2017, he obtained his master’s from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm in the class of Torleif Thedéen. Having a keen interest in science, Bas is currently completing a Master’s Degree in Physics at the Open University. He received further musical impulses from respected artists such as Heinrich Schiff, Frans Helmerson, Anner Bijlsma, Natalia Gutman as well as Johannes Meissl, Miguel da Silva, Andras Keller and Petr Prause. A laureate of national and international music competitions, Jongen gave recitals and appeared as a soloist all over Europe, as well as the US, Brazil, Japan, Korea and Australia. Bas Jongen plays a rare cello by Hendrick Jacobs (Amsterdam, ±1690), kindly loaned to him from the collection of the Dutch National Musical Instruments Foundation.
Image © Davide Bertuccio