Harrington String Quartet to End Season with New Work by WT Composer

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, [email protected]

CANYON, Texas -West Texas A&M University's Harrington String Quartet will close its season with a newly commissioned work that's intimately tied to each of its members.

The quartet will debut String Quartet No. 2, "Harrington," at its 7:30 p.m. April 10 concert in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT's Canyon campus.

Tickets are $20. Call 806-651-2840.

The "Harrington" quartet was written by Dr. B.J. Brooks, director of WT's School of Music in the Sybil B. Harrington College of Fine Arts and Humanities.

"It's subtitled 'Harrington' in tribute both to the Quartet's namesake and to the ensemble itself," Brooks said.

HSQ was established by a generous gift from the late Sybil B. Harrington to benefit the Panhandle community.

"Each of the four movements is inspired by the initials of the Quartet's member's names, transforming letters into musical ideas and shaping distinctive portraits of the players who bring the music to life," Brooks said.

Audiences will hear the essence of each member, Brooks said: the "exuberant energy" of Dr. Rossitza Goza, first violin and WT's Dorothy and Don Patterson Professor of Violin; the wit of Evgeny Zvonnikov, violin 2 and Harrington lecturer in violin; the meditative nature of Brenton Caldwell, viola and instructor of viola; and the "presence of strength" of longest-serving member Emmanuel Lopez, cello and Periman Distinguished Artist.

"We are greatly enjoying the process of discovering what BJ has hidden in the score," Goza said. "He has planted quite a few delightful Easter eggs for us to find."

The program also will include Joseph Haydn's String Quartet Opus 64, No. 5, "Lark," and Franz Schubert's String Quartet No. 13, "Rosamunde."

"This is one of my favorite programs we have ever put together," Goza said.

From its founding in 1981, the quartet has brought stellar credentials and a refined sense of ensemble and musical integrity to performances across the nation and internationally.

HSQ's collaborative recording with the Phoenix Chorale, "Northern Lights," was distinguished as iTunes's Best Classical Vocal Album of 2012. In 2005, the quartet also released a Grammy-nominated album of works by American composer Daniel McCarthy on the Albany Records label.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University's long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign, which is now winding down, has raised more than $175 million.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor's and master's degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men's and women's athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University's Harrington String Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 10 at Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall at WT. Members are, from left, Brenton Caldwell, viola; Emmanuel Lopez, cello; Dr. Rossitza Goza, violin 1; and Evgeny Zvonnikov, violin 2.

-WT-