UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Isidore String Quartet will make its Penn State debut with a modern twist on classical works at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30, in Recital Hall.
Call 814-863-0255 or visit Isidore String Quartet online for more information and to purchase tickets.
Isadore String Quartet is Phoenix Avalon and Adrian Steele, violins; Devin Moore, viola; and Joshua McClendon, cello. The program will include:
- Joseph Haydn, Op. 76, No. 4, “Sunrise”
- Gabriella Smith, “Carrot Revolution”
- Antonín Dvořák, Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106
Creative and curious quartet approaches the classical canon
Isidore String Quartet started at the Juilliard School and was inspired by many of the school’s instructors and artists. “Isidore” refers to legendary violinist Isidore Cohen, one of Juilliard String Quartet’s early members.
The musicians’ style can be described as “approaching the established as if it were brand-new, and the new as if it were firmly established.”
“The quartet’s approach to [Haydn’s “Sunrise”] was invigorating and refreshing, even if a bit unconventional,” wrote a reviewer for the Boston Musical Intelligencer. “Whatever one’s pre-conceived notion of a style is, this performance was nonetheless riveting.
Isidore String Quartet has performed with many eminent performers, including pianist Jeremy Denk and violinist James Ehnes, and upcoming collaborations include clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellist Sterling Elliott and Miró Quartet.
Over the past several years, the quartet has nurtured a connection to the works of composer and pianist Billy Childs, performing his Quartets No. 2 and 3 throughout North America and Europe. In February 2026, Isidore String Quartet will premiere a new Childs quartet written expressly for the ensemble.
Acknowledgements
The event is sponsored by Pieter W. and Lida Ouwehand. Support is provided by the Dotty and Paul Rigby Classical Music Endowment. Accessibility services are provided by the Sidney and Helen S. Friedman Endowment. A grant from the University Park Fee Board makes student prices possible.
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