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March 16, 2006
The Euclid Quartet, in residence at Morningside College, and the Degas Quartet from Hickory, N.C., will perform together in concert on Thursday, March 30, at 8 p.m. in Eppley Auditorium, 3625 Garretson Avenue. The concert will feature a preview performance of the new octet “Ludi” by award-winning composer Armando Bayolo. The concert is free and open to the public.
The performance at Morningside is part of a three-day residency by Bayolo and the Degas Quartet, March 29-31, during which time they will present classes and activities at Morningside, the Sioux City public schools, and La Casa Latina. Morningside College string students will take lessons and master classes with the Degas Quartet, watch the new composition come to life at open rehearsals, and attend a lecture by Bayolo, who will talk about his creative process and influences. At the public schools, the quartet and composer will conduct classes and demonstrations for students. Sessions on music composition will be held at La Casa Latina on Wednesday, March 29, at 4:15 p.m. for students and 5:30 p.m. for adults. The public is invited.
The world premiere of “Ludi,” commissioned by and written for the Euclid and Degas Quartets, will be performed by the quartets at the Aspen Music Festival in June.
 Bayolo’s works have been performed around the world, most notably at the Opera in the Ozarks Festival and by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, the University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra, and the Euclid Quartet. Bayolo has served as founder and director of the Prime Directive ensemble and new music series in Ann Arbor, Mich., as music director of the University of Michigan’s Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and visiting director of the Reed College Chamber Orchestra. He also served as guest conductor for the Lee University Chamber Orchestra and Evor Ensemble and Odyssea Chorus in performances throughout Portugal.
A native of Puerto Rico, Bayolo (left) studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Yale University, and the University of Michigan.
The Degas Quartet includes James Dickenson, violin; Tamaki Higashi, violin; Philip von Maltzahn, cello; and Simon Ertz, viola. Founded at the Bowdoin International Music Festival in 1999, the quartet has appeared in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Harris Hall at the Aspen Music Festival.
The Degas Quartet has performed and coached chamber music at several colleges and universities in North Carolina and have premiered numerous new works in venues such as New York's Music Under Construction series, New York's WQXR Classical Radio, and the Gamper Contemporary Music Festival at Bowdoin College.
 The Euclid Quartet includes Jameson Cooper, violin; Jacob Murphy, violin; Luis Vargas, violin; and Amy Joseph, cello. Formed in 1998, the quartet was a top prizewinner at the 2005 Fifth Osaka International Chamber Music Competition and Festa and the top winner at the 2004 Hugo Kauder International Competition for String Quartets at Yale University. They have worked with members of the American, Audubon, Cleveland, Emerson, Guarneri, Juilliard, LaSalle, Miami, and Takacs quartets.
Members of the Euclid Quartet teach private lessons and coach chamber music at Morningside while continuing to perform locally, nationally, and internationally as a quartet and as solo musicians.
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