Purdue News

October 16, 1998 Discovery Concerts bring new classical talent at Purdue WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Amernet String Quartet, with special guests the Lafayette Chamber Singers, will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Fowler Hall in Stewart Center at Purdue University. This is the first of three Discovery Concerts, presented by Purdue Convocations and Lectures to showcase young classical performers in the early stages of their promising careers. These concerts are made possible in part by the Friends of Convocations, the donor organization that helps fund special programs and arts education/outreach activities of Purdue Convocations. Additional funds were provided for the presentation of the Amernet Quartet by the Heartland Arts Fund. Comprised of Yoram Youngerman on viola, Marcia Littley de Arias on violin, Javier Arias on cello, and Mauricio Aguiar on violin, this multicultural ensemble will perform a program including Beethoven Quartet, Op. 18, No. 4 in c minor, and the Ravel Quartet in F Major. The Lafayette Chamber Singers and the quartet will perform the Beethoven Elegischer Gesang "Sanft wie du lebtest," Op. 118 (Elegy). Formed in 1991 while its members were at Juilliard School, this young quartet has garnered several prestigious awards: first prize at the Fifth Banff International String Quartet Competition (1995), grand prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition (1993), the gold medal at the Tokyo International Music Competition (1992), and first prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition (1992). Its busy performance schedule has included appearances throughout the United States, the Pacific Rim, Germany, France, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Korea and Japan, as well as the summer festivals of Aspen, Ravinia, Norfolk, Great Lakes, Newport, Tanglewood and Mostly Mozart. The Amernet's New York debut was at Merkin Hall in 1994, with a return engagement in 1995. The debut was labeled "a vital, free-wheeling performance" by Strad magazine. The ensemble followed in 1996 with a performance at Carnegie's Weil Recital Hall. A return performance at Weil is part of its 1998 tour. Now ensemble-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Amernet is a recipient of a 1995 Chamber Music America Rural Residency Award and has received numerous grants for its concert and conversation series and for school outreach projects. In Greater Lafayette, a morning school workshop is planned as part of the quartet's visit. The New York Times has described the group as "Immensely satisfying ... Their performances were most notable for the quality of unjaded discovery that came through so vividly." The Lafayette Chamber Singers, founded by Purdue English Professor Clayton Lein in 1972, consists of 12 to 15 singers performing a wide range of music from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century. They have been featured in the Unity Temple Concert Series in Chicago and performed full concerts at Earlham College, Christian Theological Seminary (Indianapolis), and Valparaiso University. Most recently the ensemble has performed with the Indianapolis Philharmonic and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. All tickets to the Nov. 4 performance are $9 and are available at campus box offices. Charge by phone at (765) 494-3933 or 1-800-914-SHOW. CONTACT: Sue Stevens, Convocations publicist, (765) 494-9712; e-mail, snstevens@convos.purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; e-mail, purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page