KAIA String Quartet to bring Latin American repertoire to Randolph

KAIA String Quartet (©†Todd Rosenberg 2017)

The internationally renowned KAIA String Quartet will grace the stage of Wimberly Recital Hall in Randolph’s next Guest Artist Recital on Thursday, November 7 at 7:30 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

Celebrated for its ability to “beautifully blur the lines between classical, Latin, and world music,” the Chicago-based KAIA String Quartet is devoted to exposing audiences to the rich and colorful music of Latin America, performing a recital of works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Astor Piazzolla, and José Bragato.

“We’re happy to continue our commitment to diversifying the musical canon by featuring the women of the KAIA Quartet and their focus on Latin American repertoire,” said music professor Emily Yap Chua. “Audiences will recognize familiar string quartet literature in the Beethoven and enjoy introductions to new voices and cultural backgrounds in the Piazzolla and Bragato quartets.”

Active performers in both the United States and abroad, the Chicago Tribune hailed the KAIA String Quartet’s album collaboration with Fareed Haque as one of the top 10 musical recordings of 2018. Off stage, the group is devoted to music education. From 2013-17, the KAIA String Quartet traveled to Tijuana, Mexico to present and perform in schools through the sponsorship of the Mainly Mozart Festival. Members of the group also serve as teaching artists for Ravinia’s Reach*Teach*Play program and for the International Music Foundation’s Live Music Now program. The group works with college-level musicians as well, and is currently in residence at DePaul University’s Community Music Division.

The KAIA String Quartet will continue its work in the community in Lynchburg. In addition to the recital at Randolph, the group will conduct an outreach session with Lynchburg City Schools string students as part of the visit.

This is the final Guest Artist Recital of the fall semester at Randolph. Spring performers include renowned Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero, baritone Scott MacLeod, and pianist Roger McVey.