PACIFICA QUARTET WINS GRAMMY AWARD!

The Pacifica Quartet has added a Grammy Award to its growing collection of musical achievements. Pacifica, the quartet in residence at the University of Illinois School of Music, picked up the 2009 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance for its recording of Elliott Carter’s String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5. The announcement was made Feb. 8 at an afternoon ceremony held prior to the evening’s televised Grammy Awards program. Ensemble members are Sibbi Bernhardsson and Simin Ganatra, violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello. The quartet recorded Carter’s quartets, on the Naxos label, in celebration of the composer’s centenary. Last November, Pacifica was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America. The annual directory and online cite lauded the ensemble as “a model string quartet of the 21st century.”

the Grammy winners will perform next on their "home court" with saxophonist Erik Rönmark at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Ticket information is available online at Krannert Center Tickets. (Original release courtesy of Melissa Mitchell of the UI News Bureau.)

The faculty, students, and staff of the School of Music and the College of Fine Arts, and indeed the entire University of Illinois congratulate these outstanding colleagues, teachers, and members of the community! BRAVISSIMI!