Amernet String Quartet

The Williams College Department of Music presents the Amernet String Quartet on Friday, Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall on the Williams College campus. On Thursday, Nov. 18, the quartet will also participate in a composition reading at 2:35 p.m. and conduct a chamber music master class at 4:30 p.m., both also in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall. These free events are open to the public.

Like all visiting artists to the Williams campus, the educational mission of the Amernet String Quartet is capped by an event to which all are invited and welcome. Fans of the classical string quartet have the pleasure to meet a group renowned for its vitality and zest. Their program includes music that can’t be heard live every day and spans from classical to the modern.

Dipping into the deep well of literature that flowed from the quill of Joseph Haydn, the Amernet Quartet performs the Quartet in F-Major, op. 77, no. 2, one of the “Lobkowitz” quartets, composed in 1799. Juxtaposed to this, the Amernet presents a challenging piece by Shostakovich. With unique take on the piano pieces, 6 Preludes, op. 34 by the great Russian composer, this piece was arranged by Yuri Vitenson, the father of Amernet violinist Misha Vitenson. Originally composed in 1932 and 1933, this modern masterpiece was transcribed by the composer for various instrumentations. This version of the work offers a new perspective and expands sound scope of the original, without compromising its intimacy.

Dvorak is always of special interest to American audiences. His visit to America and the audible effect this had on his music, even after returning to his native Bohemia, was unusual in the nineteenth century. New World Symphony enjoys a special popularity in the United States, perhaps because listeners enjoy the novelty of hearing American strains and themes in the context of a work from the old world. The quartet in A-flat Major, op. 105 was first performed in 1896, but was a work that was born and bred on this side of the Atlantic. It is a perfect piece for the Amernet String Quartet, which is comprised of musicians whose work requires that they straddle continents and cultures, and who are familiar with interpreting experiences from different perspectives.

Misha Vitenson, violinist, began violin studies with his father, Yuri Vitenson, in his native city of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. His extensive exploration of music has also earned him a Master of Music Degree at the Juilliard School. He joined the Amernet in 2002, and the faculty at Northern Kentucky University as an Artist-in-Residence, teaching violin and chamber music. Currently, he is Artist-in-Residence at Florida International University.

Marcia Littley, violinist and founding member of the quartet, received her Bachelor of Music from the Juilliard School. She has appeared as soloist with orchestras in the United States and in Mexico, and has participated in music festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Interlochen, Tanglewood, and the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall. Currently, she is Artist-in Residence at Florida International University, where she teaches violin and chamber music.

Born in 1978 in Rochester, NY, Michael Klotz made his solo debut with the Rochester Philharmonic at the age of 17. He has been a member of the Amernet String Quartet since 2002. Michael Klotz is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music. In 2002 he became one of the few individuals to be awarded a double Master’s Degree in violin and viola from the Juilliard School. Also a dedicated teacher, Mr. Klotz is Artist-in-Residence at Florida International University, where he teaches viola and chamber music.

Cellist Jason Calloway has performed to acclaim throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East as soloist and chamber musician. A devoted advocate of new music, Mr. Calloway has performed with leading ensembles around the world. He is also artistic director of Shir Ami, an ensemble dedicated to the preservation and performance of Jewish art music suppressed by the Nazis and Soviets, and with which he appears frequently across the United States and in the ensemble’s varied performances in Austria and Hungary. A native of Philadelphia, Jason Calloway is a graduate of the Juilliard School and the University of Southern California.

A performance not to be missed, the Amernet String Quartet presents yet another great listening opportunity and a chance to acquaint oneself with a unique repertoire and the musicians who inhabit it.

Event Program