Tu B'Shvat Concert
February 9, 2005

Sergey Ostrovsky - Violin I
Evgenia Epshtein - Violin II
Shuli Waterman - Viola
Rachel Mercer - Violoncello

Less than a year after its establishment, the Aviv Quartet won second prize in the International String Quartet Competition at the Prague Spring Festival in May 1998. Following this achievement, the Aviv Quartet has won several important international prizes: first prize, the Amadeus Quartet Prize, at the Charles Hennen International Competition in Heerlen, Netherlands in April 1999, and the Grand Prix at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in July of the same year. In February 2003, the Aviv Quartet won second prize and a special prize for Schubert interpretation at the Graz Schubert Competition, and in July 2003, it shared top prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet competition and was awarded the prestigious Music Critics' prize.

The quartet is also the recipient of a German Ministry of Education Prize and a special award of the Israel Ministry of Education. During 2003, the Aviv Quartet was awarded the M. Landau / Israeli Lottery prize for special achievements. Sergey Ostrovsky, Evgenia Epshtein and Shuli Waterman have been recipients of scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation.

The Aviv Quartet has appeared at numerous venues throughout Israel. Since July 1998, it has performed annually as the resident quartet at the Upper Galilee Chamber Music Festival at Kfar Blum, and since 1999 has performed regularly at international venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, Auditorium du Louvre and Th??tre du Ch?telet in Paris, and Carnegie Hall in New York.

In 1998, the Aviv Quartet participated in the Amadeus Quartet summer course at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and in June that year was the Israeli representative at the Encounters chamber music course in Jerusalem under the direction of Isaac Stern and with the participation of members of the Emerson and Juilliard Quartets. In addition, the Aviv Quartet participated in master classes given by Ivri Gitlis, Levon Chilingirian, Henry Meyer, Arnold Steinhardt, and Miriam Fried. Between 1998 and 2000, the Aviv Quartet studied with the members of the Alban Berg Quartet in K?ln, and with Ben-Zion Shamir in Rotterdam. More recently, the quartet has participated in the activities of ProQuartet, performing in concerts and in master classes with Walter Levin, Valentin Erben and Valentin Berlinsky. At the same time, they have continued their advanced studies with members of the Ysa?e Quartet in Paris.

Einav Yarden, piano

Israeli pianist Einav Yarden has performed with such orchestras as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Calgary Philharmonic, Jerusalem Symphony, Plovdiv Philharmonic, and The Israel Symphony, under Sir Neville Marriner, Aldo Ceccato among others. She won Fifth Prize at the prestigious Honens International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Aviv Competitions, other important prizes, and a recipient of the AICF scholarships for many years. She is currently a Masters student of renowned pianist Leon Fleisher in Baltimore.

Program

Brahms Quintet Op 34 in f minor (ca. 37")
Allegro non troppo
Andante un poco adagio
Scherzo Allegro
Finale Poco sostenuto-Allegro non troppo

Beethoven Op 18 No 6 in Bb (B flat) Major (ca. 26")
Allegro con brio
Adagio ma non troppo
Scherzo Allegro
La Malinconia,Adagio-Allegretto quasi allegro