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Click here for information about the The James Piano Quartet was formed in 2006 with the goal of exploring the rich repertoire of piano quartets, as well as duos and trios for string instruments and piano. During the last three years the group was in residence at Wintergreen Music Festival and Sweet Briar College. In 2007 the JPQ joined the roster of the Virginia Commission for the Arts. Recent performances include appearances in the Roanoke Arts Festival, and at Virginia Wesleyan College, Virginia Beach and the Martha Washington Inn, Abingdon. The repertoire of the group includes seldom-performed quartets by Taneyev and Walton among others, and more famous quartets by Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and Schumann. During the last academic year two new piano quartets were composed for the group: Hagiophony by Jonathan Green and Udolpho by Kent Holliday. The group is also collaborating with composer Joelle Wallach. In February 2010 they will premiere her new piano quartet Runes and Ritual at Sweet Briar College. The JPQ is currently recording chamber music of Arthur Honegger for Centaur Records. This project is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2010. Honegger's chamber music has been unjustly neglected, and the quartet relishes the preparation of these wonderful works, a series of violin, cello, and viola sonatas written when Honegger was at the height of his fame and powers.
"[The James Piano Quartet] gave a riveting performance of my composition Udolpho, with an eloquent musical interpretation throughout. The group surmounted all technical challenges, including a number of extended techniques, with consummate ease. It was a pleasure to write for and to work with such a capable ensemble." - Kent Holliday, Composer and Professor of Music, Virginia Tech "The quartet is outstanding. The communication among them as they create the music is superior and relaxed, open, communication in word and playing effectively draws the listener into experience." - John Campbell, Artsong Update "The James Piano Quartet is a superlative ensemble with a proven track record of concerts of standard repertoire and new music at the highest level. They exhibit the very best in chamber music performance: richness of tone, cohesive ensemble, intelligent and interactive musicianship, and most of all an infectious vitality that holds the listener from beginning to end." - Jonathan D. Green, Dean & Professor of Music, Sweet Briar College "The four wonderful musicians of the James Quartet play with a sense of urgency, excitement and passion. What more could a 21st century audience wish for?" - Michael White, Composer and Juilliard Faculty |