About
Joseph Haydn (March 31, 1732 – May 31, 1809) is acknowledged as the “father of the string quartet” and served as an inspiration to both Mozart and Beethoven. This 200th anniversary year is a wonderful time for chamber music aficionados to celebrate the way Haydn changed our world.
If you are a string quartet player and you missed the 100th anniversary of Haydn’s death, or if you think you might miss the 300th anniversary of Haydn’s death, then this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Participating is free!
The Haydn Quartet Slam is a chance for players to hear ALL and play ONE OR MORE of the 83 Haydn string quartets. For professional and amateur and student quartets, this is an open and informal performance opportunity. Unlike poetry slams, this is non-competitive and heartily participatory. We hope players will be eager to sample quartets from the first two volumes as well as the third and fourth volumes of the Peters edition.
Preformed quartets were enthusiastically welcomed to apply. Questions can be addressed to haydnslam@hotmail.com. Quartets that participate are not expected to present a “recital-ready” performance, but they are expected to present a reasonable reading without technical problems or breaks. The preparation needed to achieve that level will be up to each quartet individually.
The Haydn Quartet Slam sessions are free and open to the public, and audience members may come and go as they please.
ANNOUNCING FOUR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES!
(1) Haydn Quartet Slam T-shirts are available for $10 each on a pre-paid, pre-order basis. The shirts are a stylish “oceana” color in 100% cotton. Send your payment (cash is ok; checks should be made out to Pat Addis) and size (unisex S, M, L, XL, XXL) to Pat Addis, 20 West Park Road, Iowa City, IA 52246. Orders must be received NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 27 !!!
T-shirts will NOT be available later at the Slam.
(2) All pre-college Haydn Slam participants will receive a FREE, signed, first-edition copy of “The String Players’ Guide to Chamber Music” by James Christensen. Jim is alongtime avid chamber music player and is the cellist in ten of the Haydn quartets for the Slam!
(3) All other participants may purchase a second-edition copy of “The String Players’ Guide to Chamber Music” by James Christensen. The book will be available at Eble Music Co. in downtown Iowa City (telephone 319-338-0313 or visit them on the web at www.eble.com). The book is “wonderful for amateur string players of all ages” and describes the “delights and pitfalls” of 260 works.
(4) All participants in the Haydn Quartet Slam were entered in a drawing for three pairs of FREE tickets to the concert by the Parker Quartet, 7:30 pm, Tuesday, November 17, at Zion Lutheran Church (featuring Haydn, Mendelssohn, and Bartok). The winners were: Ian McDowell, Jeremy Joanes, and Anthony Arnone. The concert is a special addition to the Hancher schedule. For more tickets, visit the Hancher Box Office. The drawing took place on October 15.
(This page last updated October 26, 2009.)