Jan. 5, 2022

Contact Mary Ellen Haupert at 608-796-3770 or mehaupert@viterbo.edu

ARTARIA STRING QUARTET RETURNS TO VITERBO UNIVERSITY JAN. 16 FOR FIRST IN SPRING CONCERT SERIES CELEBRATING THE MUSIC OF LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

LA CROSSE, Wis. – The acclaimed Artaria String Quartet will return to Viterbo University for the final three concerts in the Beethoven Quartet Cycle at 3 p.m. Sunday Jan. 16, Sunday, Feb. 20, and Sunday, March 20 in the Viterbo University Fine Arts Center Nola Starling Recital Hall. 

The concert series, which began before the pandemic, is being held in celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday. The sixteen string quartets of Beethoven’s monumental canon span 36 of his 57 years and represent, perhaps better than any other of his works, the revered Early, Middle, and Late periods of his compositional life. According to the Artaria String Quartet, within their six programs of the complete Beethoven string quartets is infinite variety, combining those periods within a single performance as a most satisfying experience for the listener.

A pre-concert talk will be held at 2 p.m. before each performance. The Jan. 16 talk will be given by Dr. Michael Mader of Gundersen Health System. Dr. Mader has a special interest in the physical effects of hearing loss and how it affects those who suffer from the ailment, in particular Beethoven’s own internal struggle.

The Artaria String Quartet is an award-winning professional string ensemble now in its 36th year, with numerous awards to its credit, including major funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, numerous Minnesota State Arts Board Grants, a coveted McKnight Performing Artist Fellowship, and a year as MPR’s Artists in Residence.

Tickets are $21.10 plus taxes and fees for general admission seating. Visit www.viterbo.edu/tickets or contact the Viterbo box office at 608-796-3100 to purchase tickets. Use the coupon code BeethovenHoliday to get 50% off the price of tickets to any of the concerts in the series through Jan. 14. A minimum of three tickets must be purchased to receive the discount.

Masks are required to be worn in all indoor public spaces on the Viterbo campus.

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