The summer is in full swing and after a thrilling show with the New York Philharmonic and Yo-Yo Ma in June (at Avery Fisher Hall), we spent 5 days with our friends and colleagues at the Hotchkiss school and a week in Santa Barbara for our debut at Music Academy of the West!

While we have been a bit delinquent in updating this section of our website, we promise to do better! This will be the hub for photos, videos, and unusual blog posts from the various members of the group (and if you know any of the guys, it could prove to be interesting!).
So check back often and see “What’s up”.

On to Santa Fe!

We just arrived in Miami, FL for two days of working with the New World Symphony as well as performing on the Sundays Afternoons of Music series in Coral Gables. We are excited to be here!

Check out the quartet on the homepage of the New World Symphony!

During the very first years of the Miró Quartet, we were lucky enough to work with the former second violinist of the LaSalle Quartet, Henry Meyer. He became one of the most important mentors we had–coaching us through much of the classical repertoire, and introducing us to many of our first major professional connections: including Isaac Stern, Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland, and the Hochschule Luzern in Switzerland. He also became a dear and close friend until he passed away a few years ago.

During these years we knew him, Henry often spoke of his close colleague and friend, Walter Levin, who had played first violin in the LaSalle for decades, and was now another major teacher of talented violinists and quartets in his own right. Many of our friends in other young quartets (like the Artemis, Casals and Kuss) were working with him extensively in Europe–but despite his reputation and our busy schedule our paths never crossed. We heard so much about Walter Levin, but in our 17 years playing concerts together around the world we never met him.

Until last Thursday!

We had heard that within the last year, Walter and his wife Evi had moved from Basel, Switzerland to Chicago, taking up residence near South Lakeshore Drive by lake Michigan in a lovely retirement community called Montgomery Place.

Since we were scheduled to perform in Chicago the following Friday night, we contacted Walter and Evi to see if they would like to meet with us–and they invited us to dinner at Montgomery Place! Over stir fry and pistachio cannoli, we shared reminiscences about our good friend Henry, and heard wonderful stories of the LaSalle’s travels in the 60s and 70s (who knew that they had played the Debussy Quartet for the Princess of Tonga in the rain on Fiji?). It was wonderful.

We were joined at dinner by pianist Anton Nel (who performed with us in Chicago). Anton had studied chamber music with Walter while he was a student at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

To top it off, Walter agreed to hear us play after dinner! In the activities room, in front of dozens of the retired professors, doctors and artists who live at Montgomery Place, the Miró Quartet played one of the most special performances of our lives! We chose Brahms first quartet in c minor to play, and I admit to personally being more than a bit nervous with such a quartet legend in front of us!

Walter had wonderfully insightful comments and observations about our playing–it’s clear a lifetime of music making is still very much at his fingertips, and his ears are razor sharp. By the end of an hour of working together, our interpretation had reached a new level and depth thanks to him. It was a momentous experience for us, and I hope for all the listeners watching the process as well.

Performing for Walter, Evi, and other residents of Montgomery Place.

Chamber music is in every way about connections and communication: between musicians onstage, between the musician and the audience, and even between a long dead composer and the next living generation of listeners in the 21st century. Although meeting for the first time, all four of us felt a deep connection to Walter Levin, not only because of his experience, artistry and wisdom, but also because of the deep love for Quartet music that he shared with our friend Henry Meyer, a love that Henry had himself so generously shared with us so long ago, at the very beginning of the Miró Quartet. Last Thursday we found a new friend and mentor, who marvelous seemed in so many ways to have been a part of our musical lives and hearts all along.

I’ll never forget that evening–hopefully the first of many more spent with Walter and Evi Levin! Perhaps next time we’ll play some Schoenberg or Beethoven…I can hardly wait!

Deepest Thanks to Walter and Evi…see you both again soon! ”

-John Largess

Josh with former mentors from the Cavani Quartet, Annie Fullard (middle), Mari Sato (right)

Daniel with the Nicest Guy in Classical Music, Peter Salaff, second violinist of the legendary Cleveland Quartet.

John with Cleveland Orchestra Principal Clarinetist and an old friend, Franklin Cohen.

The quartet enjoys a blast from the blast: sour cream donuts from Presti’s!  The donuts were courtesy of the Queen of Hospitality in Cleveland, Lois Rose.  Thank you Lois!

Will with Ashley Faulx, doctor at the Cleveland Clinic’s Case Medical Center, friend of Will’s from Harrisburg, PA.

Josh with his parents, who drove all the way from Pittsburgh just to see their son perform on the cello.  What great parents!

We have been in New York this past week for a week long residency at Lincoln Center’s White Lights Festival. It is always great to get back to the Big Apple (where we lived for two and half years). Unfortunately, Will could not join us for the trip to tend to family obligations, however, our dear friend and colleague Tereza Stanislav graciously agreed to step in for this tour.  One of the highlights of the week was stopping by WQXR’s amazing studios to record a Café Concert. Here is a video of the quartet performing the first movement of Beethoven’s Quartet op. 132!

We are so excited to be welcoming acclaimed violinist and chamber musician, William Fedkenheuer to the Miró Quartet as our new second violinist! Will will begin touring extensively with the Miró Quartet beginning this fall. Will is the perfect fit for the group, both musically and personally, and we couldn’t be happier with this appointment!

Michelle Schumann, Artistic Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center recently sat down with Joshua Gindele for a three part interview about the Miró Quartet’s appearance this summer.  Check it out!

Part I

Part II

Part III

About one month ago, we were honored to be a part of the gala opening weekend of a new concert hall in Carmel, IN (just outside of Indianapolis).  We performed the Schubert Quintet with cellist Lynn Harrell–it was a thrill to be collaborating with such an inspiring artist once again.  Below are some pictures from the hall (taken by pianist Inon Barnatan during the dress rehearsal, as well as a group shot after the concert)–it was a pretty incredible hall and they totally treated us like celebrities!

Behind our "celebrity" back drop!

Rehearsing at the hotel the day before the concert. I think we need to incorporate these chairs into our regular rehearsals!