2015 UD Grad Student Quintet. L-R: Joel Alarcon, Nicole Fassold, Megan Digeorgio, Maria Rusu, Cesar Colmenares

We met this UD graduate student string quintet at a master class conducted by Joel Krosnick and Joseph Lin of the Juilliard String Quartet, Nov. 7, 2015. They invited Mandorichard to attend their final rehearsal before the 2015 University of Delaware Music Department String Ensemble Recital and the recital itself on Dec. 6, 2015.

In this episode of The Music Room, you’ll enjoy meeting the five students, eavesdrop on a portion of their last rehearsal, and hear their recital performance.

For the recital, Joel Alarcon, Nicole Fassold, violins; Maria Rusu, Megan Digeorgio, violas; and Cesar Colmenares, ‘cello, prepared the first movement of Antonín Dvořák’s String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 97, B. 180. You’ll hear their stellar performance at the end of this episode

2015 Grad Student Quintet joined by Prof. Esme Allen-Creighton (L) and Prof. Lawrence Stomberg (3rd from R)

Before the performance, they introduced themselves, talked about Dvořák’s Quintet, and discussed their experiences in the UD Music program.

Thanks to the quintet’s coaches, UD Music professors Esme Allen-Creighton and Lawrence Stomberg–both members of the Serafin String Quartet, and to the University’s Department of Music for helping WVUD bring this remarkable conversation and performance to the WVUD airwaves.

Listen to the interview and performance

2015 UD Graduate Student String Quintet
29:54
55.4 MB
Host: Mandorichard. Recorded Dec. 4 and 6, 2015. Debuted Jan. 12, 2016.

The Music

On tonight’s episode of The Music Room, we aired an interview with Joel Krosnick, chair of the ‘Cello department at The Juilliard School and ‘cellist with the Juilliard String Quartet.

The Juilliard String Quartet will be playing at the University of Delaware on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2015.

We had a wonderful time talking with Mr. Krosnick about how the Juilliard conducts master classes, how the members balance teaching and performance–melding the two, how they interact on stage, and how they draw the meaning out of the music for each other and their audience. He also talked about the preparation they do for a new work, like Richard Wernick’s 9th quartet, and for ones the Juilliard have all played before.

Mr. Krosnick waxed enthusiastic about the Quartet’s latest release, a performance of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet (Touchpress)–that includes digital video, commentary, a digital score, the original folk song that inspired Schubert, the ability to highlight any one of the players–a fantastic exploration into a brilliant quartet’s interpretation of a well-loved masterwork.

The interview made it clear that all the members of the Juilliard String Quartet build strong relationships with each other, in part based on the time they spend rehearsing, but also based on the respect they have for each other and for how each other react to the music they play.

If you missed hearing this interview on WVUD, make sure you follow the link below to listen to the podcast. As one listener remarked, “That interview made me want to go out and learn to play the ‘cello!”

The Interview

Joel Krosnick, Juilliard String Quartet.
Host: Mandorichard. Recorded Oct. 10, 2015. Aired Monday Nov. 2 on WVUD’s Art Sounds and Tuesday Nov. 3, 2015, on WVUD’s The Music Room.
31:26
29.4 MB

The Music