Min Kwon & Friends at Watchung Arts Center Messiaen’s “Quartet f

Min Kwon & Friends at Watchung Arts Center

Messiaen’s “Quartet for the End of Time”

Celebrated chamber musicians Min Kwon, Siwoo Kim, Ari Evan and Graeme Steele Johnson present a rare all-Messiaen program at the Watchung Arts Center on Sunday, January 26 at 3PM. They will chronicle the amazing story of the Quartet and its construction through performance and discussion, and also feature a re-imagined version of his Vocalise-Étude for clarinet and piano. The concert will be followed by a dessert reception and an opportunity to meet the talented musicians.

Olivier Messiaen was the sum of so many powerful influences: he was synesthetic, and saw colors when he heard chords; he was obsessed with birds, had them stuffed all over his apartment walls and spent hours at a time studying their songs; he was pioneering and meticulously mathematical in his approach to rhythm; and he was a devout Catholic, and played organ in a Paris church for over 60 years, right up until his death. Written inside the walls of a German prisoner of war camp in the throes of World War II, Messiaen’s transcendent Quartet for the End of Time represents a miraculous collision of diverse political ideologies, religious beliefs and the composer’s personal influences under the most unlikely circumstances.

Min Kwon, pianist: Hailed by New York Concert Review as “ravishing,” Korean-born American pianist Min Kwon excels in an unusually versatile career that encompasses concerti, solo recitals, and chamber music appearances, while in high demand around the world as pedagogue, arts advocate, and administrator. She has held professional engagements in over 60 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Professor of Piano at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University since 2002, Dr. Kwon is also the founder and director of the Center for Musical Excellence (CME), a non-profit dedicated to mentoring and supporting gifted young musicians.

Siwoo Kim, violinist: Siwoo Kim is an “incisive” and “compelling” (The New York Times) violinist who plays with “stylistic sensitivity and generous tonal nuance” (Chicago Tribune). Siwoo performs as soloist and chamber musician, and he is the founding co-artistic director of VIVO Music Festival in his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.

Ari Evan, cellist: A native New Yorker, cellist Ari Evan is a member of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect fellowship—a two-year performance and teaching residency at Carnegie Hall that combines first-class performance opportunities with outreach and entrepreneurship projects. Prior to Ensemble Connect, Ari completed his Masters’ degree at The Juilliard School, studying with Timothy Eddy.

Graeme Steele Johnson, clarinetist: Winner of the Hellam Young Artists’ Competition and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, Graeme Steele Johnson has established a multifaceted career as a clarinetist, writer and performance designer. He has appeared recently as a TEDx speaker, as a soloist and chamber musician at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago’s Symphony Center and the Phoenix Chamber Music Society, and as a concerto soloist with prominent Orchestras.

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Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 ($22 WAC members) at the door. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Watchung Arts Center office or by mail. Include an email address or phone number with mail orders. Tickets may also be purchased online at watchungartscenter.eventbrite.com

The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.