School Assembly at Alden Place Elementary School
When
Where
41 Alden Pl, Millbrook, New York, 12545
Season
Performers:
Balourdet Quartet
Angela Bae, violin
Justin DeFilippis, violin
Benjamin Zannoni, viola
Russell Houston, cello
Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinet
Program Description:
Graeme Johnson and the Balourdet Quartet are bringing an exciting live classical music experience to Alden Place Elementary School in Millbrook! In this engaging school assembly, students will hear the beautiful sounds of the string quartet—two violins, viola, and cello—performed by world-class musicians. Graeme Johnson joins the Balourdet Quartet to guide students through the music, introducing the instruments, explaining how the pieces work, and showing how composers use melody, rhythm, and teamwork to create powerful performances.
About the Artist
Balourdet Quartet
The Balourdet Quartet is acclaimed for combining technical precision with expressive depth. The ensemble received the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant and Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. With more than 70 concerts per season, they have debuted at Carnegie Hall and Wigmore Hall and premiered new works by Karim Al-Zand, Paul Novak, and Nicky Sohn with support from Chamber Music America and the Barlow Foundation.
They are Graduate Quartet in Residence at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and alumni of the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program. The quartet has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Merkin Hall, Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and Chamber Music Houston, and collaborated with artists including Marc-André Hamelin, Simone Dinnerstein, Stewart Goodyear, and Astrid Schween.
From September 2025 through May 2026, the Balourdet Quartet serves as String Quartet in Residence with the Seattle Chamber Music Society, where they perform, teach, and lead community and educational initiatives in King County.
They are prizewinners of the Concert Artists Guild, Banff International String Quartet, Premio Paolo Borciani, Fischoff National Chamber Music, and Yellow Springs competitions.
Graeme Steele Johnson
Graeme Steele Johnson is a clarinetist, curator, and artistic director recognized for his innovative approach to chamber music. He gained international attention for rediscovering and reconstructing a long-lost Octet by Charles Martin Loeffler; his world-premiere recording appears on the album Forgotten Sounds, named one of The New York Times’ Best Classical Music Albums of 2024, nominated for a Gramophone Classical Music Award, and awarded BBC Music Magazine’s Chamber Choice. As Artistic Director of the Loeffler Octet ensemble, he has led performances at the Library of Congress, Morgan Library, and Harvard Musical Association.
Johnson performs widely as a chamber musician and soloist at major festivals and venues including Ravinia, La Jolla Music Society, the Kennedy Center, and the Dame Myra Hess series. Since 2022, he has served as clarinetist of the award-winning quintet WindSync. He is also Artistic Director of the Onstage Offstage Chamber Music Festival in Houston.