Ying Quartet to Open Museum’s Winter Concert Series Oct. 23

The North Dakota Museum of Art Winter Concert Series, long rooted in traditional Western classical music, is devoting the upcoming season to the cross pollination between world music and classical music. On Sunday, Oct. 23, 2 p.m. the series, titled Hidden Histories, Borrowed Sounds, will kick off with a performance by the world-renowned Ying Quartet.

The Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today’s world. Now in its second decade, the Quartet has established itself as an ensemble of the highest musical qualifications in its tours across the United States and abroad. Their performances regularly take place in many of the world’s most important concert halls, from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House. At the same time, the Quartet’s belief that concert music can also be a meaningful part of everyday life has also drawn the foursome to perform in settings as diverse as the workplace, schools, juvenile prisons, and the White House. In fact, the Ying Quartet’s constant quest to explore the creative possibilities of the string quartet has let it to an unusually diverse array of musical projects and interests.

The Ying Quartet first came to professional prominence in the early 1990s during their years as resident quartet of Jesup, Iowa, a farm town of 2,000 people. Playing before audiences of six to 600 in homes, schools, churches, and banks, the Quartet considers its time in Jesup the foundation of its present musical life and goals.

Formed by four siblings from an American-Chinese family, the Quartet has taught summer workshops in Minot and performed several times at the North Dakota Museum of Art. They have become known for commissioning an array of Chinese American composers to bridge the gap between traditional Chinese music and the avant-garde, served up as Dim Sum, small tastes of new musical ideas. Today, the Ying Quartet consists of Ayano Ninomiya and Janet Ying on the violin, Phillip Ying on the viola, and David Ying on the cello.

Tickets for the Concert Series are available by subscription or for single concerts, at the door or in advance at the North Dakota Museum of Art. Non-member tickets: $70 for the season, $15 per concert at the door. Member tickets: $60 for the season, $13 per concert at the door. Student and military tickets are $20 for the season, $5 per concert at the door. Children middle school and under are admitted free. Help assure the survival of the Concert Series by becoming a Concert Series Sponsor for an additional $50. Order your tickets today by sending a check or calling (701) 777-4195.

Further Series performances include Gao Hong and Butterfly on Dec. 4, HAHN-BIN on January 22, Kinan Azmeh and Dinuk Wijeratne on Feb. 19, and Dawn Avery and Steven Alvarez on March 25.

The Winter Concert Series is underwritten by grants from the Myra Foundation and the Knight Foundation Donor Advised Fund at the Community Foundation of Grand Forks, East Grand Forks and Region. Additional educational support comes from the Performing Arts Fund, a program of Arts Midwest funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, with additional contributions from the North Dakota Council on the Arts.