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Angela Bae, violin
Justin DeFilippis, violin
Benjamin Zannoni, viola
Russell Houston, cello

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART             
String Quartet No. 23 in F major, K. 590

PAUL NOVAK
Impossible Inventions (D.C. Premiere)

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN             
String Quartet No. 7, Op. 59, No. 1

This season’s Green Shoots initiative spotlights Balourdet Quartet, a dynamic ensemble that takes creative risks on stage, producing both emotionally intense and intimate moments. Its unwavering team trust and unique closeness earned it Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. Winners of the 2023 Barlow Endowment for Music Composition grant, the quartet will perform the D.C. premiere of a new commission with Paul Novak. The group’s formation began at a Taos School of Music festival, where they bonded over chamber music and meals by Chef Antoine Balourdet—who inspired their ensemble name.

About Green Shoots
Created during the 2022–2023 season by the late Joseph “Yossi” Kalichstein, Green Shoots features up-and-coming chamber artists in the intimate setting of the REACH, giving audiences a preview of stars-in-the-making. Artistic Director Jennifer Koh, a strong advocate of mentorship, is proud to continue this mission.

Balourdet Quartet

“Sublime imagination and invention are the hallmarks of Mozart’s final string quartet and the first of Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartets. These are works which constantly allure us with surprises, yet even more so offer a profound congeniality and spirituality. In addition, an exciting new commission written for the Balourdet Quartet by rising star composer Paul Novak, one of the most thoughtful musical minds of today, explores the intersection of machinery and technology with the timeless art of string playing.”