WEST TEXAS — During the pandemic, the acclaimed Cassatt String Quartet’s local nonprofit program Cassatt in the Basin is celebrating its mission with a heartfelt online recital entitled “Missing You,” meant to reach its loyal audiences in the Permian Basin and beyond, which will be released through a YouTube Premiere on Thursday evening, January 28, 2021, at 7 p.m.
Cassatt in the Basin, founded in 2005 by Jennifer Leshnower, a native of Odessa and member of the Cassatt String Quartet, was slated to make its biannual trip to West Texas to work with students and teachers. For the past 15 years, the Cassatts have never once missed one of these popular and educational concerts. COVID-19, of course, has caused travel to be canceled.
With this 30-minute recital of sterling performances, including a new arrangement of “Amazing Grace” and an all-time favorite by Mozart, the Cassatts hope to bring music into the homes of those who normally would have heard them perform live in the basin. Each of the works is preceded by a lively but brief spoken introduction, sure to appeal to viewers of all backgrounds – students, teachers, and music lovers everywhere.
The full program follows:
Andy Teirstein “Hymn” from Restless Nation
Mozart Divertimento in F Major
Daniel Strong Godfrey “Amazing Grace”
This free recital will go live on YouTube Premiere on Thursday evening, and can be tuned into from the following link: https://youtu.be/3nYg-phsxhw.
Named for the celebrated impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, the quartet consists of Muneko Otani, violin; Jennifer Leshnower, violin; Ah Ling Neu, viola; and Elizabeth Anderson, cello.
Acclaimed as one of America’s outstanding ensembles, the New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout the world. Esteemed music critic Alex Ross named the Cassatts to his “10 Best Classical Recordings” in The New Yorker three times.
With a deep commitment to nurturing young musicians, the Cassatt has offered classes for composers and performers at the American Academy, Rome; the Toho School, Tokyo; Bowdoin International Music Festival; Columbia, Cornell, Princeton and Syracuse universities, and the University of Pennsylvania. The quartet is in residency annually at Cassatt in the Basin in Texas.