“...the best of the very best.” —The Spectator

Sept. 9, 2024 
By Marc Shulgold + Sabine Kortals Stein

“I find myself thinking about all our former quartet members—we wouldn’t be celebrating this milestone today except for them,” says first violinist Edward Dusinberre. Adds second violinist Harumi Rhodes, “It’s a monumental moment and we’re approaching it with a sense of awe. I feel humbled. Yet, in another sense, for us it’s business as usual.” And much of that business takes place right here in Boulder. 

In the news: 

• At 50, the Takacs Quartet Remains as Essential as Ever (The New York Times)
  With only one of its original members in the group, this ensemble is still identifiably itself and still going strong.
• Takács Quartet at 50: a legacy of reinvention, artistic vitality and expanding horizons (Gramophone)
  As the Takács Quartet marks 50 glorious years, the players discuss the group’s extraordinary transformation, expanding the repertoire and what it takes to be a superior quartettist.
• Dream team (Gramophone)
  A celebration of the 50th birthday of the Takács Quartet as they release their latest album of music by Dvořák and Florence Price; sit in on the sessions as Pierre-Laurent Aimard records the largest selection yet from György Kurtág’s "Játékok."
• From attic to album (The Strad)
  The Takács Quartet and Marc-André Hamelin shine light on Florence Price’s Piano Quintet. | Listen to the third movement of Price’s Piano Quintet in A minor—Juba: Allegro (Gramophone)
• The fifth element (The Strad) 
  In October 2024, the Takacs Quartet was featured on the cover of The Strad magazine. Quartet members discussed the group’s 50th anniversary, the intangible "fifth spirit" that has shaped its character … and more.
• Climbing the mountain (Strings)
  In conversation with Strings magazine, the Takács Quartet shares their inspiration for recent recordings of two challenging Schubert works at Wyastone Concert Hall, England.
• The Frick’s New Hall Makes Small Ensembles Sound Huge (Vulture)
  The Takács Quartet, with the pianist Jeremy Denk, helped inaugurate The Frick Collection's new music hall.
• Takács Quartet and Hamelin strike chamber music gold with Price and Dvořák (Winnipeg's Classic 107 FM)
• Takács Quartet review—sweat, comedy and blazing brilliance (The Times)
  Takács Quartet review—a superlative performance in which the music never sits still (The Guardian)
• Four of a kind (Boulder Magazine) 
  The Takács Quartet is a world-class ensemble based in the shadow of the Flatirons.

In 2022, we welcomed Gabriela Lena Frank—heralded by The Washington Post as one of the most significant women composers in history—for a Distinguished Lectureship. In summer 2024, the world premiere of Frank’s new Concerto Grosso—"Kachkaniraqmi" ("I still exist" in the indigenous Peruvian language of Quechua), commissioned by the Colorado Music Festival and Takács Quartet supporters—was performed by our Grammy-winning Takács Quartet as ensemble-soloist! The work takes inspiration from indigenous Peruvian folk tunes while showcasing a speculative style based on the meeting of Peruvian and Western classical music. 

More: 

• Interview—Harumi Rhodes (KGNU Community Radio)
  Associate Professor of Violin Harumi Rhodes—second violinist of our Takács Quartet—shares insights into the preparation and collaboration involved in the world premiere of “Kachkaniraqmi.”
• Celebrated composer comes to Colorado to premiere new symphony (CBS)
• An American composer finds her roots in Peru (Denver Gazette)
• Gabriela Lena Frank Draws on Peruvian Ancestry in World Premiere at Colorado Music Festival (I CARE IF YOU LISTEN)