Lily String Quartet is a dynamic chamber ensemble dedicated to excellence. This Canadian quartet was formed in 2005, and is quickly being recognized by audiences and critics alike as an up-and-coming ensemble of the 21st century. This bilingual quartet is comprised of four vibrant young women originating from diverse regions across Canada. Whether from the ranches of southern Alberta, the Saskatchewan prairies, the city life of Calgary, or the beauty of Quebec City, these women have brought together their varied experiences to produce a unified and tantalizing sound. With the members of Lily String Quartet having individually trained at Mt. Royal Conservatory in Calgary, the University of Calgary, McGill University, the Quebec Conservatoire, Indiana University and the University of Toronto, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience that enriches the quartet.
The 2008/09 performing season has been particularly exciting for the LSQ. In October of 2008, they were in residence at the Banff Centre for the Arts recording a CD with B.C. musician Heather Bilodeau. In addition, they joined their colleagues, the Bell’Arte Quartet, also from Calgary, in a concert of octet repertoire presented by the Instrumental Society of Calgary. April and June 2009 will see the ensemble on tour in Western Canada performing concerts of French, English and Canadian repertoire as well as bilingual school outreach concerts. These tours will include a total of 30 performances throughout Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
LSQ participated in a varied and busy 2007/08 season. Their appearances included concerts for New Works Calgary, the High Performance Rodeo, The Banff Centre, and the Instrumental Society of Calgary. During the winter of 2008, LSQ was featured on CBC Radio with singer/songwriter Lullaby Baxter, blending pop and classical music in the production of a musical for the High Performance Rodeo, produced by One Yellow Rabbit Performance Theater. Following the High Performance Rodeo, LSQ was invited to perform “The Snow Queen” by Patrick Cardy for string quartet and actor for the “14th Annual Ice Magic International Ice Sculpture Competition” at Lake Louise. To finish the season, LSQ performed a concert of music on the New Works Calgary series composed entirely by Calgarian women, including Fei Yang for string quartet and accordian by Hope Lee.
LSQ was accepted into two prestigious 2007 summer seminars: the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar in New York and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar at Stanford University in California. They have been honoured to work with Joel Smirnoff & Samuel Rhodes (Juilliard String Quartet), Lesley Robertson, Chris Costanza, & Scott St. John (St. Lawrence String Quartet), Nina Lee (Brentano String Quartet), Daniel Panner (Mendelssohn Quartet), Henk Guittart (Schoenberg Quartet), Barry Shiffman (music director at the Banff Centre & formerly of the St. Lawrence String Quartet), and Douglas Beilman (New Zealand String Quartet).
Lily is committed to reaching a diverse and youthful population by offering concerts with fresh ideas, innovative programmes and creative venues. As an example, the quartet recently produced a classical music video featuring Stravinsky's "Concertino" with unique costumes, make-up, and lighting.
The quartet is passionate about educating future musicians. The members spend hours teaching private lessons to the next generation of musicians, adjudicating music festivals, coaching young chamber music groups and performing outreach concerts in and around Calgary. Lily String Quartet and its members are recognized within the community through relationships with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Mount Royal Conservatory of Music, Amici String Academy and Chinook Music School. Educating younger audiences is important to Lily String Quartet, and they enjoy performing children's concerts, having developed a bilingual concert for elementary school students, presenting the string quartet and the joys of classical music. For more information please visit lilyquartet.com.
