The Manhattan String Quartet

KentMusic Faculty
Eric Lewis, violin Chris Finckel, cello John Dexter, viola Calvin Wiersma, Violin	Critically acclaimed as one of America’s leading ensembles, the Manhattan String Quartet is celebrating its 40th season this year. Michael Steinberg of the Boston Globe hailed them as “a national treasure.” Notable among its many recordings is the complete cycle of 15 Shostakovich string quartets which TIME Magazine called “One of the most important musical events of 1991”. The group has been Quartet-in-Residence at Colgate University for the past twenty-four years, and has also held similar posts at the Manhattan School of Music, Cornell University, Grinnell College, Western Connecticut State University, the Chamber Music Institute in Racine, Wisconsin and Michigan’s Interlochen National Music Camp (for 22 summers). The Quartet appears regularly in the musical capitals of Europe including Paris, Prague, Budapest, Leipzig and Vienna. In 2005, they presented the Shostakovich quartet cycle in Nagoya and Tokyo, Japan in addition to performances in the United States including New York City. Since 1981 the Manhattan String Quartet has hosted annual teaching and performing conferences, in the United States and Europe, for young professional quartets and amateur string players.

David Clampitt	DAVID CLAMPITT is a music theorist and violinist who taught at Yale University for 11 years before joining the faculty at Ohio State University, where he is Associate Professor. The author of many articles and book chapters, he is a recipient of the Emerging Scholar Award from the national Society of Music Theory. A founding member of the Algonquin String Quartet during his years as a violinist in New York City, he has been a regular member and occasional soloist with Orchestra of New England in New Haven, and has appeared as a recitalist at Yale. He has coached and lectured at KentMusic for the past 21 years and has also given his popular lecture/demonstrations with the Manhattan String Quartet in New York City and abroad.


	Violist LIUH-WEN TING is a graduate of the Juilliard School and former member of the Meridian String Quartet. She has collaborated with the Cassatt String Quartet and the Persian master Shahram Nazeri on a sold-out tour, appearing on ABC, CNN, and Fox News. Ms. Ting is a frequent soloist at international festivals including The Prague Spring Music Festival, Ostrava New Music Days in the Czech Republic, The Warsaw Autumn Music Festival in Poland, and the Primavera en la Habana electro-acoustic music festival. She has recorded chamber music on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, and Capstone Record labels. Ms. Ting is also a faculty member of the prep division at the Mannes School of Music.

	Cellist KÄTHE JARKA has performed in major concert venues across the United States, Canada and in Europe. While a member of the Shanghai Quartet, she toured extensively, appearing at the Tanglewood, Norfolk and Ravinia festivals. She performs and conducts master classes around the country as a member of the Broyhill and Goliard chamber ensembles. Ms. Jarka has collaborated with such artists as Yo-Yo Ma, Ruth Laredo and the Juilliard Quartet. She appeared several times with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and coaches the Young Musicians Program of its education division.