A wonderful new Early Music endeavor in Philadelphia is about to take off: PhilaLandmarks Early Music Series! The Series brings the historical homes of Philadelphia to life through vibrant and educational period-instrument chamber music performance. Franklin Quartet has been actively present from the get-go in the planning for this great initiative. The series inaugural concert, “Mozart in 1776” on April 20 at the Historic Powel House, where the Franklins teamed up with Grand Harmonie and Mezzo Soprano Julia Mintzer, was a sold-out event and was received with great enthusiasm! Stay tuned for upcoming concerts at PhilaLandmarks Early Music Series here: www.philalandmarksearlymusic.org
BIG News! Our Becky has received a GRAMMY nomination! She is one of the soloists on, Philadelphia based vocal group, The Crossing’s CD Lloyd: Bonhoeffer. The group is competing in the category; Best Choral Performance. Congratulations to our Becky and the entire Crossing team! We’ll keep our fingers and toes crossed on February 12!
We are thrilled that our upcoming concert, The Vienna Connection, has been included in the Chestnut Hill Local write-up of greater Philadelphia-area fall musical events. Noteworthy author Michael Caruso writes:
Rounding out the start of the local musical season brings us back to St. Paul’s Church for the first of its “Five Fridays” of fundraising recitals. Each performance raises funds for two local charities, Philadelphia Interfaith Hospitality Network and Face-to-Face Germantown. The series’ first performance is set for Friday, Oct. 7, at 7:30 p.m.; its first performers are the members of the Franklin Quartet: Dan Elyar (violin & viola), Rebecca Harris (violin), Marika Holmqvist (violin & viola) and Rebecca Humphrey (cello ) . . . The program consists of quartets by Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven and Boccherini.
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We had the amazing fortune to be invited to spend 9 beautiful September days at the magical Avaloch Farm Music Institute in Boscawen near Concord, NH. Here’s a picture of us on the steps of our rehearsal cabin.
Violinist Becky Harris perfectly describes the atmosphere in a blog post on her website:
I couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring start to the new season! With the Franklin Quartet, I spent some time in New Hampshire at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute, where we had the luxury of rehearsing and performing solidly for nine days, surrounded by stunning countryside, and nourished by exquisite home cooking.
In our cabin, surrounded by lush canopy and sprawling fields, we delved into quartets from the mid-to-late eighteenth century, delighting in works by Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven that represent the pinnacle of the string quartet canon, and discovering beautiful but little-known quartets by Boccherini, Cherubini, and Kraus . . .