Kettering Concerts

Kettering Concert 2024-09-22

Tasmanian String Quartet
Jennifer Owen (Violin), Tobias Chisnall (Violin), Douglas Coghill (Viola), William Hewer (Cello)

Première - Be.Four.Quartet by Elena Kats-Chernin

Programme:

String Quartet in F major No 12 Op. 96 – American Quartet – Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) ()
Be.Four.Quartet – Elena Kats-Chernin (1957 -) ()

Sunday 22 September 2024, 3pm
Kettering Community Hall
Tickets only available on-line
$25
Stay for the post-concert afternoon tea, meet and chat with the musicians.

Jennifer Owen

Currently Principal First Violin of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Jennifer Owen has worked professionally as Principal Second Violin of the Houston Symphony (from 1999-2015), previously as Principal First Violin and Acting Associate Concertmaster of the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra (1996-99) and as Associate Concertmaster of the Richardson Symphony, Texas (1992-93).
She has performed as Acting Principal First Violin with the Melbourne Symphony and as a member of the second violin section for the last two seasons of the Australian World Orchestra. During her time in the United States she played in many summer music festivals including Santa Fe Opera, Grand Tetons Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, Bravo! Colorado, Strings in the Mountains, and Park City Music Festival.
Jennifer has appeared as soloist with the Tasmanian Symphony, the Houston Symphony and the Riverside Symphony in New York City. As a chamber musician Jennifer has most recently performed with Virtuosi Tasmania and for the 2016 Dark MOFO Festival. In the US she was a regular guest on Faculty chamber concerts at both Rice University and the University of Houston, and appeared on concerts for the Society of Modern Music, and the St Cecilia Chamber Music Series.

Tobias Chisnall

Tobias Chisnall began studying the violin at the age of 5 in Canberra, Australia, under the guidance of leading Canberra violin pedagogues Yeung Ng and Vincent Edwards, the latter of the Juilliard School of Music and one of Australia's leading violinists and educators. At the conclusion of his undergraduate studies with Tor Fromyhr at the Australian National University's School of Music he was awarded first-class honors and the Friends' Bernhard Neumann Memorial Prize, awarded to 'an outstanding Honours [sic] year Music student who made a significant contribution to the School of Music and to the community.' Tobias completed postgraduate degrees at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Ole Bohn, and at Duquesne University's Mary Pappert School of Music in Pittsburgh, PA, with Charles Stegeman.

Douglas Coghill

Douglas Coghill began playing the violin at the age of 7 with the hope of one day playing the viola. At 12, when he was big enough, he made the change to the viola. In 2006 Douglas began studying at the Victorian College of the Arts. In 2007 he received the Brunner prize for the most improved string player. He was the 2008 winner of the John Gaitskell Memorial Mensa Trust Award. He completed his Bachelor of Music Performance degree in 2008. Following his Bachelor degree, Douglas began studies at Australia’s leading music school, the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM). At the academy he performed in the orchestra, in chamber ensembles and as a soloist. At ANAM Douglas had the opportunity to work with leading musicians from around the world.
In 2012 Douglas appeared as a soloist with the Australian Doctors Orchestra. He has worked with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, and is a member of the “Opus House” ensemble based in Hobart. Douglas plays on a viola made by Felix Scheit who is based in Berlin.

William Hewer

Tasmanian cellist William Hewer completed his undergraduate studies at the Hobart Conservatorium under Uzi Wiesel (Tel Aviv Quartet) and Sue-Ellen Paulsen (TSO) before pursuing further studies in Australia and overseas. William participated in the Sydney Symphony's fellowship program and studied with Howard Penny at the Australian National Academy of Music before moving to Germany to complete a Master's of Music at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne under the tutelage of Nicolas Altstaedt and Rainer Zipperling. Since moving to the UK in 2017, Will has become a regular guest with the London Philharmonia, BBC Philharmonic, and The Hallé. In addition, he is a frequent collaborator and guest principal cellist with the Manchester Collective, guest principal of the Northern Chamber Orchestra, and immediately prior to his move back to Australia in July 2024, he completed a contract as sub-principal cellist with Opera North in Leeds.

Botaniko Artist Group – Artist

Formed in 2014, Botaniko, (Esperanto for botanical), is a small group of dedicated botanical artists, who, by invitation, collaborate towards yearly exhibitions depicting plants found in gardens and other venues of historical significance in Tasmania. Past projects include the gardens of the Port Arthur Historic Site, the 200th anniversary of the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens, The Tasmanian Herbarium, The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), The Windsong property, and in 2022, the trees of historical significance found in the garden of Tasmania's Government House. Titled Floral Splendour - Government House Garden. This year, members of Botaniko have been painting plants, shrubs and trees growing in in a number of private gardens of historic Battery Point (Hobart). Some of the resulting works will on display at the concert.