An alternative to skiing this weekend: some incredible music at Hill Hall at UNC Chapel Hill Saturday at 8:00PM.
This is where I will be to see my friend and awesome violinist Jennifer Curtis. Jennifer is part of a brilliant group called the J Quartet. Jennifer, a recent Juilliard graduate played on both my “Peaceful Journey” and “Christmas in Carolina” CDs and is simply one of the most creative, skilled and most versatile musicians I have ever known. Jennifer can play any style of music. She is also excellent on guitar and mandolin. Tomorrow night it will strictly be a classical performance and I can’t wait to hear her group. The quartet will be playing Mozart, Ligeti and Brahms. This vibrant young string quartet was formed a year ago at The Juilliard School in New York, where they have been coached by a variety of legendary music personalities including Robert Mann of the Juilliard String Quartet, members of the Tokyo and Mendelsshon Quartets, as well as Itzahk Perlman. From North Carolina, Oklahoma, Korea and New Zealand, the J Quartet perform everything from standards such as Haydn or Beethoven to French contemporary music, as well as original works for mandolin and string trio by Jennifer. The group has been performing in the Triangle area, in schools, nursing homes and concert halls, while raising money not only to support themselves while pursuing graduate studies at Juilliard, but also in an effort to help the Ai Kwang Won School for the mentally and physically disabled in Koje-do, Korea. The quartet is made up of Jennifer, Jessica Lee, violins; Jisoo Ok, cello; and Joy Fellows, viola. See you in Chapel Hill this Saturday night for a memorable evening!