BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:6@millbrookmusicsalon.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20250831T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20250831T210000 DTSTAMP:20251104T190511Z URL:https://millbrookmusicsalon.org/events/rising-stars-balourdet-quartet- with-pianist-sophia-zhou/ SUMMARY:Rising Stars: Balourdet Quartet with pianist Sophia Zhou DESCRIPTION:The Balourdet Quartet has rapidly emerged as one of the most ex citing young ensembles. Praised for their vivid energy\, incisive ensemble playing\, and adventurous programming\, they were recipients of a 2024 Av ery Fisher Career Grant — one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for emerging artists.\nThis evening’s performance showcase a electrifyin g blend of music: the Romantic warmth of Amy Beach\, the cutting-edge imme diacy of Nicky Sohn’s galaxy back to me — commissioned by the Balour det — and the refined elegance of Ravel’s quartet. After intermission\ , pianist Sophia Zhou joins the ensemble for one of the crown jewels of th e chamber repertoire\, Dvořák’s Piano Quintet in A major.\nProgram:\nA my Beach — String Quartet (One Movement)\nNicky Sohn — Galaxy back to me (Balourdet commission)\nMaurice Ravel — String Quartet in F Major\nIn termission\nAntonín Dvořák — Piano Quintet in A Major\, Op. 81 (Sophi a Zhou\, piano)\n*Estimated Concert Length: ~ 1 hour 50 minutes to 2 hours \, including a 15-minute intermission.\nTicketing:\nGeneral Admission — $55\nStudents &\; Educators — Free (valid ID required)\n[full_width][ one_half]\nBalourdet Quartet\nString Quartet\n\nThe Balourdet Quartet is a cclaimed for their vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical precisi on and emotional depth that brings a fresh perspective to both beloved cla ssics and modern compositions. Its unique closeness and willingness to tak e creative risks earned it the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant\, as well a s Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. With more than 70 concerts per season\, recent highlights include the Balourdet’s debut s at Carnegie and Wigmore Halls\, and new string quartets by composers Ka rim Al-Zand\, Paul Novak\, and Nicky Sohn through grants from Chamber Mus ic America (2021) and the Barlow Foundation (2023). They have recently be en named the first ever Quartet-in-Residence at the Seattle Chamber Music Society and have recently completed residencies at Indiana University and the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program.\n\n Highlights of the 2025-26 season include performances at Carnegie Hall\, t he Freer Gallery at the Smithsonian\, Boston’s Celebrity Series in Jorda n Hall\, and Chamber Music Houston. Recently\, they have performed at the Kennedy Center\, Buffalo Chamber Music\, the Chamber Music Society of Detr oit\, and La Jolla Music Society and Rockport Music. Collaborations includ e violinist James Ehnes\, pianists Marc-André Hamelin and Simone Dinner stein\, cellists Zuill Bailey and Astrid Schween\, violist Jordan Bak\, a nd the Dover\, Pacifica\, and Ying Quartets. They continue their position as String Quartet in Residence with the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle in North Carolina where they curate the Up Close Chamber Music Series\, s erve as principals in the orchestra\, and engage with the larger community of the Triangle region. Most recently\, the Balourdet received the Chamb er Music Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs for the 25-26 s eason and are winners of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music’s 2025 Innovation Competition for their educational initiative Expedition S trings.\n\nCommitted to sharing their musical values with the next generat ion\, the quartet has served regularly as faculty at the Green Mountain Ch amber Music Festival\, JDR Summer Music Academy\, Berkshire Summer Music\, and Opus Chamber Music. They have also given masterclasses and coachings at Northwestern University\, University of Michigan\, Rice University\, Em ory University\, New England Conservatory Preparatory Department\, Fischof f Chamber Music Academy\, Upper Valley Chamber Music\, and Wright State Un iversity.\n\nThe Balourdet journey began in 2018 in the mountains of New M exico at the Taos School of Music\, where violinists Justin DeFilippis\, A ngela Bae\, and cellist Russell Houston first bonded as friends over long evenings of chamber music\, luxurious Peppermint Schnapps and extravagant meals created by chef extraordinaire Antoine Balourdet\, a renaissance man with an exceptional love of life and music. It was the friendships\, a sh ared passion for music and food\, and gratitude for the role the festival played in the formation of the quartet\, that inspired the members to name the ensemble in Chef Balourdet’s honor.\n\nSoon thereafter\, in the hea t of a waning Texas summer\, Justin\, Angela\, and Russell joined with vio list Benjamin Zannoni at Rice University\, and the Balourdet Quartet was f ormed. Inspired by their love for the repertoire and the excitement of hav ing found each other\, the four friends found themselves playing quartets late into the night for fun. After having been together for only one year at Rice University\, and a summer at the Aspen Music Festival\, they took second prize at the Nielsen International String Quartet Competition\, and were selected as the only quartet admitted to Boston’s historic New Eng land Conservatory Professional String Quartet Program under the tutelage o f Cleveland Quartet cellist Paul Katz.\n\nIn 2021\, the Quartet won the Gr and Prize at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition\, which includ ed joint management by Concert Artists Guild in the U.S.\, and Young Cla ssical Artist’s Trust (YCAT) in the UK and Europe. In addition\, the Bal ourdet has been prizewinners in Canada’s Banff International String Quar tet Competition\, the International Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in I taly\, Gold Medal winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competiti on\, and Gold Medal and Audience Prizewinners at the Yellow Springs Compet ition.\n\n\n\n[/one_half][one_half_last]\nSophia Zhou\nPianist\n\nNew York -based pianist Shuhui (Sophia) Zhou has performed internationally as a sol oist and chamber musician at renowned venues including Carnegie Hall\, the Kennedy Center\, the Royal Concertgebouw\, Shanghai Concert Hall\, and Na tional Sawdust. A winner of the V BPA International Piano Award in Barcelo na\, she was invited on recital tours across Spain and has collaborated wi th members of the New York Philharmonic\, the Metropolitan Opera\, Berlin Philharmonic\, Bavarian Radio Orchestra\, London Philharmonic Orchestra\, and faculty from the Juilliard School\, Curtis Institute\, Manhattan Schoo l of Music\, Barenboim-Saiid Academy and Kronberg Academy in Germany.\n\nS ophia is recognized for her versatility and commitment to contemporary mus ic. She recorded and premiered works by leading composers such as Andrew N orman (Carnegie Hall’s Debs Composer’s Chair) \, Benjamin Broening (Gu ggenheim Award) and Thomas Adès\, John Harbison\, Alexander Goehr and Nin a Shekhar.  An in-demand vocal pianist and coach\, Sophia has worked with Brooklyn Art Song Society\, Mannes Opera\, Bare Opera\, and Classical Lyr ic Arts (Italy)\, and served as post-graduate piano fellow at the Vocal Ar ts Program at Bard College Conservatory of Music\, working closely with Da wn Upshaw and Stephanie Blythe. As a multi-disciplinary artist\, her recen t projects include project “Bach VS The Climate Crisis”  in collabora tion with renowned environmental photographer J Henry Fair and solo perfor mance in the Nam June Paik retrospectives show in San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.\n\nBorn and raised in Shanghai\, Sophia was the first student from mainland China admitted to Oberlin College’s double-degree program\ , graduating with majors in piano performance and German literature. She c ontinued her studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vie nna and earned her Master of Music from Mannes College in New York City\, studying with Thomas Sauer. Her training includes work with Richard Goode\ , Peter Serkin\, Barry Douglas\, Ruth Slenczynska\, Jacques Rouvier\, Karl Heinz Kaemmerling\, Bernd Goetzke\, Hortense Cartier-Bresson\, and others .\n\nAs a concert curator and presenter\, Ms. Zhou is the founder and dire ctor of Chamber Music at The Stissing Center since 2020 and Millbrook Musi c Salon since 2025\, bringing world-class music to the heart of the commun ity. With the mission of providing more support for emerging artists\, she has established an annual award in partnership with Young Concert Artists . Further collaborations include Carnegie Ensemble Connect\, Kronberg Acad emy in Germany\, Sir Andras Schiff’s Building Bridge Program\, to name a few.\n\n\n\n[/one_half_last]\n\n[/full_width] ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://millbrookmusicsalon.org/wp-content/uploa ds/2025/11/balourdetPosterTabloid.webp CATEGORIES:2025 Season LOCATION:Grace Church\, 3328 Franklin Ave\, Millbrook\, NY\, United States X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=3328 Franklin Ave\, Millbro ok\, NY\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Grace Church:geo:0,0 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20250309T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR