Don’t miss the Euclid Quartet featuring Erik Rönmark on saxophone when they perform at the Dennos Museum in Traverse City on Sunday, June 14. Tickets are now available on MyNorthTickets.com.


 

Artist

Euclid Quartet with Erik Rönmark, Saxophone

 

How they got their start

Formed in Ohio in 1998, the Euclid Quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, home to a wealth of renowned artistic and cultural institutions. It is a multinational mix representing four continents: violinist Jameson Cooper (Great Britain), violinist Jacob Murphy (United States), violist Luis Enrique Vargas (Venezuela), and cellist Si-Yan Darren Li (China). Within three years, it was awarded the String Quartet Fellowship to participate at the Aspen Music Festival (where the group was invited to return for the summer concert season in 2006).

Born in 1976, Rönmark is a native of Sweden. In 1996, he moved to the U.S. He studied with the internationally known saxophonist and educator Donald Sinta at the University of Michigan, where he received his doctorate in 2004, the first Swedish saxophonist to do so.

 

Style

Chamber Music

 

Influences and Inspirations

Both Euclid Quartet and Rönmark celebrate music from the past to present by composers such as Debussy, Schubert, Grieg and Gershwin to Wynton Marsalis, Shara Worden, and Howard Frazin.

 

Additional Background

Euclid was the first American string quartet to be awarded a top prize at the prestigious Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Prior to its Japanese laurels, the quartet also won awards in numerous United States competitions, including the Hugo Kauder International Competition for String Quartets, The Carmel Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. In 2009, the Euclid Quartet was awarded the esteemed “American Masterpieces” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Among the group’s appearances on tour have been Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Aspen Music Festival, and the National Gallery. Since 2007, the Euclid Quartet has held the prestigious string quartet residency at Indiana University South Bend.

As a soloist and orchestra saxophonist, Rönmark has played with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Sundsvall, Windsor (Canada), Ann Arbor, and Aberdeen symphony orchestras. He has collaborated and assisted artists such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Terry Riley, Matthew Barney, Shara Worden, and Branford Marsalis, and has commissioned and premiered over 30 new works for saxophone. Rönmark has been a part of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra administration since 2005. He co-founded the ensemble New Music Detroit to perform new and adventurous classical music from the late-20th century to the present day.

 

Quotes

“Rarely has a group found such meaning and vision.” – American Record Guide 

“The Euclid Quartet rises above mere technical excellence, and performs with openness and joy. They are an energetic group with great focus and personal drive; their performances are impassioned, musical and communicative.” – James Dunham, former violist, Cleveland Quartet

 

Venue

Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City

 

Date & Time

June 14, 3 p.m.

 

Ticket information

Tickets are $30. Go to MyNorthTickets.com

 

For more

EuclidQuartet.com; ConcertSaxophonist.com