Socially Distancing with Dvorak and Shostakovich

Category: music 241

Elm City String Quartet will make its third public appearance with a Fredericton performance of Dvorak’s quartet no. 12 and Shostakovich’s quartet no. 8. on Friday October 16. 

Matt Carter

Live music in 2020 will forever be remembered for its mix of enjoyment and caution. Balancing the desire to experience music in a live setting with a collective responsibility to keep ourselves and those around us safe can make for tricky concert going. One of the unique advantages of attending performances in larger venues is the space they provide, allowing that feeling of being together to flourish while also being appropriately spaced. 

Elm City String Quartet’s upcoming performance checks all the appropriate boxes for our current condition. On October 16, Victor Vivas (violin), Mercedes Salazar (violin), Mark Kleyn (viola), and Emily Kennedy (cello) will host their third public performance, and their first at Fredericton’s Christ Church Cathedral.

The performance marks a significant milestone in the Cathedral’s history, coming exactly 175 years (and a day) from when Lieutenant Governor William MacBean George Colebrooke laid the cornerstone on October 15, 1845. Construction continued for the next eight years before the first service was held on August 11, 1853. 

For this performance, the ECSQ will perform Dvorak’s quartet no. 12 and Shostakovich’s quartet no. 8. 

Dvorak’s composition, often called the American Quartet, was composed during a residency in the United States and debuted on January 1, 1984 in Boston. 

Shostakovich’s quartet no. 8 was composed after he reluctantly joined the Communist Party and was dedicated to the victims of facism and the war. It premiered in Leningrad in 1960. 

While the Cathedral provides ample space for distancing, the performers are asking anyone planning to attend to purchase tickets in advance to accommodate seating requirements for individuals and bubbled groups. A link to the Facebook event outlining all the details can be found below. 

Elm City String Quartet | Friday October 16 | Christ Church Cathedral | 7:30 p.m. | View Event 

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