The Conservatory Series will stage its next concert at Denison University featuring a San Francisco-based string quartet and a youthful Columbus-based quartet headed to Carnegie Hall. Chamber Music Columbus will present a concert with the Cypress String Quartet, Opus and the Conservatory Series Chamber Orchestra at 3 p.m. on Sunday (Oct. 22) at Burke Recital Hall. The concert is free but ticket reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 614-848-3312 or going to the Web site www.cmconnection.org. There will be a pre-concert "dialog" at 2:30 p.m.

The Cypress String Quartet serves as the quartet-in-residence at San Jose State University, California. Named as an "Exemplary Arts Educator" by the California Arts Council, the quartet will also participate in a workshop from 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday evening. Members Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, violins, Ethan Filner, viola, and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello, are in residence in Columbus from Oct. 19 to 23 and will hold open master classes at St. John's Episcopal Church (700 N. High St., Worthington) and at Hilliard Davidson High School. In addition to their appearance at Denison, they will perform at the Southern Theatre on Saturday (Oct. 21). Tickets for that concert are available through CAPA.

Blending outstanding performance with innovative programming, The Cypress String Quartet has had concerts at the Kennedy Center, the Chautauqua Institute, the Ravinia Festival, Wolf Trap, M.I.T. and Stanford University's Lively Arts. They have commissioned and premiered more than 25 works from many of America's leading composers. The Denison concert will feature the quartet playing Shostakovich's "Octet for double string quartet" with Opus, Mozart's "Dissonance," and Janacek's "Idyll" with the Conservatory Series Chamber Orchestra.

Opus was formed by Artistic Director Deborah Price of the Chamber Music Connection. The four boys are seniors at their respective schools. First violinist Jeff Myers attends Upper Arlington; second violinist James Rubino attends Linworth Alternative Program, Worthington School district; violist Reuben Payne attends Delaware Hayes; and cellist Matthew Kufchak attends Westerville South. As silver medalists from the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, held at the University of Notre Dame last May, Opus will perform on October 24th in the new 600-seat Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. The quartet will be playing an excerpt of Ravel's "String Quartet in F" and the Scherzo and Trio from Brahms "Piano Quintet" with From the Top host Christopher O'Riley. The New York show is being taped for a new PBS television show from the producers of From the Top and will be aired at a later date. Opus also won first prize at the 2005 Ohio Orchestra and String Teachers Association Biennial Chamber Music Competition and were the junior division semi-finalists in the 2005 Fischoff competition.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- A chamber music concert featuring the Cypress String Quartet, the Conservatory Series Chamber Orchestra and the Opus string quartet; pre-concert dialog at 2:30 p.m., concertat 3 p.m., Sunday (Oct. 22), Burke Recital Hall. Free tickets may be reserved by calling 614-848-3312 or by going to the web site www.cmconnection.org. Contact 740-587-6220 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

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stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575