Department of Music announces 2022-23 concert season

The Department of Music has expanded its 2022-23 performance season with a number of additional concerts to complement its presentation of season mainstays the Slee Visiting Artist Series and the Slee Beethoven String Quartet Cycle.

Special guest artists include the Sphinx Virtuosi, Alexander Quartet and Harlem Quartet. And as part of the department’s annual collaboration with the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, UB will present a pair of concerts by the Jerusalem Quartet, as well as a solo recital by Nikki Chooi, concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and concerts by the Meridian Arts Ensemble and the Horszowski Trio.

Among the season highlights:

• The Sphinx Virtuosi will open the season for visiting artists on Oct. 15. A dynamic, exhilarating professional chamber orchestra, the Sphinx Virtuosi is dedicated to increasing racial and ethnic diversity in classical music. Featuring 18 of the nation’s top Black and Latino classical soloists, the Virtuosi musicians are primarily alumni of the internationally renowned Sphinx Competition, and they work together as cultural ambassadors to reach new audiences.
• The Parker Quartet will perform the entire Slee Beethoven String Quartet Cycle. The Parker Quartet’s appearance in March marks the second time in recent years that the famed Slee cycle will be offered in a condensed fashion — taking place over one week. UB may be the only place in the country — or the world, according to Department of Music staff — that presents all 16 Beethoven string quartets annually. The annual presentation of the cycle was established at UB during the 1950s by the estate of Frederick and Alice Slee.
• Alexander Quartet will perform Shostakovich String Quartet Cycle. Building upon the legacy of the Slee Beethoven cycle, UB will, for the first time this season, present an additional cycle of string quartets by one of the 20th century’s most important composers. The Alexander Quartet will perform five concerts in April featuring the complete string quartets of Dmitri Shostakovich.
• The Robert and Carol Morris Center for 21st Century Music series. The Center for 21st Century Music opens its season with a concert devoted to the music of Lukas Foss in commemoration of Foss’ centenary year. Additional highlights of the season include performances by the Slee Sinfonietta, UB’s professional chamber orchestra in residence and the flagship ensemble of the Center for 21st Century Music, and visits by Ensemble Court-Circuit and the Switch~ Ensemble, as well as the annual June in Buffalo festival.
• Brown Bag Concerts are back. The free, informal, 45-minute concert experiences return after a pandemic-related hiatus. The programs, featuring performances by UB music students and faculty, will take place on the first Tuesday of October, November, March and April.

View the full concert schedule on the Department of Music’s website.