Kontras Quartet

Friday, January 10, 2025

Kontras Quartet Releases Fifth Studio Album, “All Made of Stories”

Chicago, IL (January 10, 2025) – The Chicago-based Kontras Quartet, currently consisting of violinists Eleanor Bartsch and Sherri Zhang, violist Benjamin Weber, and cellist Jean Hatmaker, has released their fifth studio album, “All Made of Stories,” on the MSR Classics label (former second violinist François Henkins appears on the album).

Formed in 2009, the "superb Chicago-based ensemble" (Gramophone Magazine) has become known for their vibrant and nuanced performances, “crisp precision" (Palm Beach Daily News), "superlative artistry" (CVNC Arts Journal), and a passion for exploring the many fascinating intersections of folk and classical music. “All Made of Stories” is a deeply personal curation of music for string quartet further examining these intersections. The album attempts to answer a complex question: what makes us who we are?

“All Made of Stories” features a wide array of works spanning genres, centuries, and continents including three premiere studio recordings and two Kontras Quartet commissions.

Local Chicago composer John Elmquist’s “Sacred Traces” was commissioned by Kontras Quartet for the group’s 2017 folk residency at Chicago’s Classical WFMT radio and draws inspiration from the rich American tradition of sacred harp singing.

“Hidden Mothers” by Steven Snowden was commissioned by Kontras Quartet and San Diego’s Art of Elan, with whom Kontras was ensemble in residence from 2018-2022. The work dives into the complexities of the mother relationship through three powerful and deeply personal movements.

The album also features the premiere recording of composer Bongani Ndodana-Breen’s “Apologia at Umzimvubu,” which reflects on scenes from the Xhosa culture centered around the Umzimvubu river near the Eastern cape of South Africa. Ndodana-Breen is a South African-born composer with many Chicago connections and a friend of the group.

Rhiannon Giddens’s “At the Purchaser’s Option” (arr. Jacob Garchick) first appeared for string quartet as part of the Kronos Quartet’s “50 for the Future” project. In the original version for voice, Giddens, who is a celebrated and extremely accomplished folk multi-instrumentalist and singer, tells the harrowing and haunting tale of an American slave woman and her child.

Antonín Dvořák’s beloved “String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major,” Slavonic, is in a way the album’s centerpiece, and its only offering from the “standard” string quartet repertoire. As opposed to Dvořák’s more famous American quartet, the Slavonic uses musical language from the composer’s homeland reminiscent of his famous Slavonic Dances.

Rounding out the album are five short folk tunes originally compiled by the Armenian priest and ethnomusicologist, Komitas (Vartapet). These delightful and evocative gems are part of a set of 14 arranged for string quartet by cellist Sergei Aslamazyan (of the Komitas Quartet) in the mid-20th century.

“Throughout our quartet travels we’ve come to cherish that it is the sharing of stories which holds the greatest power to unite us,” says cellist Jean Hatmaker. “Stories define, uplift and even haunt us; they are the very fabric of which we are composed. All Made of Stories is, in short, a musical heritage quilt. It’s full of compelling music that weaves colorful tapestries of motherlands far and wide, of customs and histories inherited by each new generation.”

Tying together the album’s concept is a beautiful decorative textile on the cover by Argentinian artists, Chiachio & Giannone, whom Kontras met during a concert at San Diego’s Lux Art Institute (now Institute of Contemporary Art- San Diego).

Kontras will celebrate the album’s release with a private CD release party hosted by Chicago Classical WFMT 98.7FM at WFMT studios on January 28th.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Announcing new member: Sherri Zhang, violin 2

We are thrilled to announce the appointment of the newest member of the Kontras Quartet, second violinist Sherri Zhang!

Sherri is an outstanding musician with a wealth of chamber music experience and inspiring creative energy. We have so enjoyed getting to know her and believe she’s the perfect fit for Kontras’s next chapter.

Join us in welcoming Sherri with a performance at Grace Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 23rd at 7:00pm (out of town folks, keep an eye on your email and social media for a livestream link). We’ll perform a classic Kontras program of folk-inspired works by Dvorak, Elmquist, Komitas, and more!

For more opportunities to hear Sherri this season, check out our upcoming concerts page. We hope to see you soon!

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM KONTRAS

Thursday, October 3, 2024

Dear Kontras Family,

After over a decade of dedicated collaboration and extraordinary artistry, Kontras Quartet announces the departure of our dear friend, colleague, and beloved founding member, François Henkins.

Simply put, there would be no Kontras without François. After spearheading the founding of the group, his tenure spanned hundreds of concerts, thousands of audience members, TV and radio appearances, international tours and five beautiful albums. Through it all, as KQ’s second violinist, “manager” (in more ways than one- we need it), and unofficial chief social organizer, he gave boundlessly– infusing the group with positivity, warmth, exceptional musicianship, knowledge, and good humor. These qualities have left an indelible mark on not only us, but on our audiences. His spirit will continue to shape Kontras for years to come.

While this marks the end of an era, we eagerly look forward to supporting François in his next endeavors and celebrating the exciting future that lies ahead for both him and Kontras. Please join us in thanking François for all he has given to the Kontras Quartet and wish him all the best in his future adventures!

Keep an eye out for some big announcements in Kontras’s near future as we usher in a new chapter. We look forward to sharing this journey with you.

RESIDENCY WITH SAN DIEGO'S ART OF ELAN

01/24/2019

We are thrilled to announce our partnership with the San Diego-based Art of Elan series as their third Ensemble-in-Residence. The Ensemble-in-Residence program is an opportunity for this innovative classical music organization to establish a two-year partnership with groups whose mission and projects align with the mission of Art of Élan. The residency includes performance opportunities, commissioning opportunities, and possible recording support.

The Kontras Quartet first came to San Diego in April of 2018 to perform with legendary jazz musician Branford Marsalis on an Art of Élan concert at The Music Box, which featured the world premiere of a commissioned work written by Dan Visconti.

In its new role as Ensemble-in-Residence for 2018 - 2020, KQ will return to San Diego twice to perform at the San Diego Museum of Art (February 22) and with Malashock Dance at the Lyceum Theatre (May 31-June 2) for their presentation of High Strung. They will also aid in Art of Élan's newly established Community Engagement projects at the Centro de Artes Musicales in Tijuana.

Art of Élan is supported by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the County of San Diego, the California Arts Council, the Clare Rose Foundation, the generosity of numerous individual donors and board members, and Art of Élan's Luminaria Circle, which supports the commissioning of new works.

More info at ArtofElan.org | Full press release here

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THE KQ FAMILY GROWS

09/01/2018

Since our founding in 2009, first violinist Dmitri Pogorelov has inspired us with his passionate artistry, his warm heart, his poise and grace, both onstage and off. After nine years of devoted commitment to the KQ cause, the time has come for him to enter a new chapter in his career. Although we will all miss Dmitri dearly as he transitions from quartet to orchestra, we are excited to welcome a new voice to the KQ sound and family, one that belongs to Eleanor Bartsch!

Violinist Eleanor Bartsch is an active orchestral and chamber musician based in Chicago. She is currently Concertmaster of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Associate Concertmaster of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and a performing member of the Chicago Philharmonic / Joffrey Ballet Orchestra where she frequently serves as Concertmaster, Associate Concertmaster, and Principal Second Violin. Ms. Bartsch also performs regularly with the Ravinia Festival Orchestra, the Grant Park Festival Orchestra, the Milwaukee, Nashville and Cincinnati Symphonies, and the Minnesota Orchestra.

As a founding member of Madison's Willy Street Chamber Players, Eleanor maintains a passion for chamber music and community. She is also a member of The Chicago Ensemble, the Elgin-based Apas Piano Trio, and has appeared recently with both the Grammy-nominated Spektral Quartet and multiple Grammy award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird.

Eleanor holds Bachelors and Masters Degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison where she was a Paul Collins Distinguished Graduate Fellow and studied with David Perry and Felicia Moye. During her studies she was a member of the Madison Symphony and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.