Program:
K. Szymanowski: String Quartet no. 1, op. 37 (1917)
L. Berio: Sequenza III for solo voice (1966)
C. Debussy: String Quartet (1893)
“Superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style or technical demand” -The International Review of Music on Tesla Quartet
“A huge, mature, and vocally stunning performance” -VOICE Magazine on Alexandra Smither
A program of sumptuous turn of the 20th century masterworks for string quartet by Karol Szymanowski and Claude Debussy—both exemplifying groundbreaking harmonic pursuits of the time—and Luciano Berio’s Sequenza III, which incorporates coughing, laughing, whispering, speaking, and singing into one of the great modern feats for solo voice. Performed by the refined Tesla Quartet and Canadian rising star Alexandra Smither in her first New York appearance.
Leadership support for music programming provided by the Anne and Chris Flowers Foundation and the Thompson Family Foundation.

Tesla Quartet
Praised for their “superb capacity to find the inner heart of everything they play, regardless of era, style or technical demand” (The International Review of Music), the Tesla Quartet brings refinement and prowess to both new and established repertoire.

Alexandra Smither
Canadian-British soprano Alexandra Smither is quickly making a name for herself in the world of old and new classical music. In May of 2017 Ms. Smither swept the Eckhardt-Grammate National Music Competition, taking home both First Place and Best Performance of the Commissioned Work, Nicole Lizee’s Malfunctionlieder.
Photos: Dario Acosta, Emily Ding