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Nancy Bean and Meichen Liao-Barnes, violin; Meng Wang, viola; Lloyd Smith, cello 

The Philadelphia based Wister Quartet are beloved regulars at Gretna Music. They’ll perform works of Handel and Mozart, and be joined by pianist Marcantonio Barone, for Brahms’ heaven-storming Piano Quintet in f minor for a very grand finale.

This will be the 11^th time since 1999 that the Wister Quartet has graced our stage.

Program

To read program notes, click here.

• George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), arr. Jacklich, Passacaglia, from Harpsichord Sonata in g minor, HMV 432
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), String Quartet in C Major, K. 465, ‘Dissonance’
  • Adagio; Allegro
  • Andante cantabile
  • Menuetto: Allegro
  • Allegro molto
• Intermission
• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897), Piano Quintet in f minor, Op. 34
  • Allegro non troppo
  • Andante, un poco adagio
  • Scherzo: Allegro
  • Finale: Poco sostenuto; Allegro non troppo

_{This concert is generously sponsored by Beverly Baker, and Ambassador John B. Craig.} 

_{Marcantonio Barone’s appearance is generously underwritten by the Slotznick family.}

About the Artists

The Wister Quartet has earned high praise from critics and audiences alike for its superb musicianship and memorable performances. The Philadelphia-based Quartet was named to honor Frances Anne Wister, founder of the Volunteer Committees of the Philadelphia Orchestra. It has performed throughout the United States and has also appeared in concert in China, South America and Europe.

Nancy Bean, violin was a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra from 1983 and was its Assistant Concertmaster for twenty-three years before retiring in 2009 to devote herself to chamber music.

Meichen Liao-Barnes, violin is Associate Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. She graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and the Juilliard School. While a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, she won first prize in the Albert Greenfield Competition and performed Paganini Concerto No.1 with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Mary SangHyun Wong, viola is the principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. She has performed around the globe, working with musicians from prestigious organizations such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Guarneri Quartet, and the Juilliard Quartet. As the principal violist, Ms. Yong regularly plays in the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia. Her love for orchestral works has also led her to play in many other established orchestras such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, New York City Ballet Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, and Princeton Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed under the baton of renown conductors such as Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Simon Rattle, Bernard Haitink, Alan Gilbert, Nicholas Harnoncourt, and Marin Alsop.

Lloyd Smith, cello became a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1967 and was named Assistant Principal cello in 1988 and Acting Associate Principal in 2002 before retiring in 2003 to devote himself to chamber music and composing.

Marcantonio Barone, piano is an American pianist Marcantonio Barone who made his debut at the age of ten at a Philadelphia Orchestra children’s concert. He returned in 1990 as soloist on the Orchestra’s subscription series. He has also performed as soloist with the Saint Louis and Houston Symphony Orchestras, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, among others. Barone has collaborated with such eminent conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Leon Fleisher, Arther Fiedler, and Barry Tuckwell, and has performed in solo recitals at the Metropolitan Museum and at Weill Recital Hall in New York, at Wigmore Hall in London, and at the Large Hall of the Saint Petersburg Filarmoniya. He has given the world premiere performances of works by several distinguished composers. Mr. Barone is Associate in Performance, Music, at Swarthmore College and also serves on the faculty of the Bryn Mawr Conservatory of Music, where he is head of the piano department.