Ensō String Quartet performs April 18, 2013

Lakewood Cultural Center

presents Ensō String Quartet

7:30 p.m., Thursday, April 18

Tickets on sale now: $22 adult, www.Lakewood.org/Tickets, 303-987-7845 or at the Box Office

Following a 2010 Grammy nomination for “Best Chamber Music Performance,” the Ensō String Quartet has quickly become recognized as one of the country’s most accomplished young ensembles. Versatile in many styles, the quartet has received acclaim for its exciting programs performed with vigor, intensity and precision. The group is equally at home in many styles and is committed to the classics of the string quartet repertoire as well as being strong advocates for new music. The quartet’s Lakewood program will include String Quartet No. 2 in D major, K. 155 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, String Quartet No. 2 in C major, Op. 26 by Benjamin Britten and String Quartet No.10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, “Harp” by Ludwig van Beethoven.

Shortly after the group’s inception at Yale University in 1999, Ensō had success at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition. The quartet’s debut recording was described by Strad Magazine as “an auspicious start to their recording career,” and was followed by the recent Grammy-nominated release of the quartet’s of Ginastera. The disc was selected as one of MusicWeb’s Recordings of the Year for 2009.

As well as giving countless outreach performances in schools throughout the country, the quartet has spent time developing programs suited to a range of ages. The ensemble has worked with Young Audiences of Houston and New York, and with the International Music Foundation in Chicago. The group was also featured in the inaugural Young Artist Residency with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and in 2010 received the prestigious Guarneri String Quartet Award from Chamber Music America.

The ensemble’s name, Ensō, is derived from the Japanese Zen painting of the circle, which represents many things: perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit.

Tickets are $22 and are available at 303-987-7845, www.Lakewood.org/Tickets or the Lakewood Cultural Center Box Office, 470 S. Allison Parkway (Wadsworth and West Alameda Avenue). Ample, free parking.

The 2012-2013 Lakewood Cultural Center Presents season is generously supported by the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), with appreciation to the citizens of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District, Sheraton Denver West and the Denver Post Community, improving and enriching the lives of those in our community.