January 24, 2016 @ 2:30 pm
Founded in 2010, the Spektral Quartet is widely regarded as one of Chicago’s most magnetic and forward-thinking chamber ensembles. The group’s inclusive approach to concert format, shifting the role of audience member from spectator to ally, has earned it a loyal following within and beyond the city limits.
The 2013/14 season found Spektral Quartet venturing into the intersection of music and everyday life with its Mobile Miniatures project. Forty composers from across the US, including Augusta Read Thomas and Shulamit Ran, were commissioned to write ringtone-length pieces for the quartet to workshop, record and make available to the public for download to mobile devices. 2013/14 also saw the release of the group’s first two full -length albums: Chambers, spotlighting the work of living, Chicago-based composers; and the South American-themed From This Point Forward with bandoneon/accordion virtuoso Julien Labro.
For its 2014/15 season, AMPLIFY, the quartet unveils its four largest-scale commissions to date as well as centerpieces from the traditional repertoire. The Spektral Quartet serves as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Chicago and was invited in 2013 to join the Rush Hour Series’s Back-of-the-Yards project, which offers year-long music education and outreach in one of Chicago’s most under-served neighborhoods.