Westport Center for the Arts’ Brown Bag Concert Series continues on Friday, March 21, with a free performance by the St. Petersburg String Quartet.  They will perform Shostakovich‘s most famous quartet, dedicated to the victims of fascism and war, and Borodin’s 2nd quartet.

The Brown Bag concerts are free (donations accepted) and held at noon in the sanctuary at Westport Presbyterian Church, 201 Westport Road, Kansas City, MO 64111.

Shostakovich‘s No. 8 was written in three days, during a time when the composer was contemplating suicide and reflecting upon his life. The quartet contains hidden musical quotes and symbolism. They will also be performing Borodin’s second quartet, which includes his famous and beautiful Nocturne and is a prime example of quintessential Russian romantic music.

About the Musicians

The Grammy-nominated St. Petersburg Quartet has enjoyed an international career as one of the world’s most esteemed string quartets. Called the “natural successor to the Borodin [Quartet’s] crown” (The Sunday Times), their rise to fame includes “Best Record” honors in Stereo Review and Gramophone, an opening night performance at the Mostly Mozart festival of Lincoln Center, a five-year residency at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, a five-year residency at the Wichita State University, and hundreds of concerts throughout North America, Europe, and Asia at prestigious series and festivals.

Highlights of recent seasons include performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and Library of Congress; appearances at festivals such as Music Mountain, Rockport, and Mainly Mozart in San Diego; and collaborations with pianists Leon Fleisher, Ruth Laredo, Misha Dichter, Anton Nel, and violist Michael Tree of the Guarneri Quartet.

The quartet has toured Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Israel, Ireland and the U.K.

Founded in 1985 as the Leningrad String Quartet, the quartet blazed a trail through chamber music circles, winning several notable international competitions including 1st Prize at the All-Soviet Union String Quartet Competition, Silver Medal and Special Prize at the Tokyo International Chamber Music Competition, 1st Prize and both Special Prizes at the Vittorio Gui International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Florence, Italy, and First Prize and the “Grand Prix Musica Viva” at the Melbourne, Australia International Chamber Music Competition. When the city of Leningrad resumed its historic name, the quartet changed its name to the St. Petersburg String Quartet.

In 2009, the quartet launched the St. Petersburg International Music Academy (now called Leopold Auer Music Festival), an intensive summer program for students that operates on various campuses and festivals in the USA and Mexico.

After a hiatus from the stage during the COVID pandemic, the quartet relaunched in 2022 with two new members (Ned Kellenberger and Sascha Groschang), alongside Boris Vayner (member since 2005), and founding member Alla Aranovskaya.