Wow-a whole concert with just the Ying Quartet. You asked for it, so here it is to cap off a quarter of a century. Thanks again to the National Endowment for the Arts for assisting in bringing Ying here to play for our Series and also to perform across the Valley in a public high school setting and to judge our Young Artist String Quartet Competition for the second time. The Ying Quartet's reputation for "instinctive unanimity" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and "astonishing, refreshing exaltation and exhilaration" (Los Angeles Times) is matched by its unparalleled success in making creative connections between chamber music and other art forms in ways that have great public appeal.

The Ying Quartet won recognition for its exceptional musical qualities when it was honored with the 1993 Naumburg Chamber Music Award. In the years since, the Yings have established an international reputation for excellence in performance with appearances in virtually every major American city. Its numerous festival appearances include Tanglewood, Aspen, Skaneateles, and San Miguel; international touring has taken the Quartet to Europe, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Japan, and Taiwan. The Yings' enthusiasm for performing in diverse settings has led to concerts in Carnegie Hall, the White House, hospitals, and juvenile prisons. Frequent musical collaborations have included such artists as Menahem Pressler, Christopher Taylor, Paul Katz, Gilbert Kalish, and the St. Lawrence and Turtle Island String Quartets. The EMI Classics recording of works by Osvaldo Golijov on which the Ying Quartet appears with the St. Lawrence Quartet was nominated for a 2003 Grammy Award. 4 + Four, a Ying/Turtle Island recording, was released in the spring of 2005 on the Telarc label, and received a 2006 Grammy Award in the Best Classical Crossover Category. The BCMS audience remembers.