Hudson Valley’s Tourmaline String Quartet performs works by Schubert, Beethoven, and Ives, February 23 at Vassar

The Tourmaline String Quartet will perform works by Beethoven, Ives, and Schubert in Vassar College's Skinner Recital Hall on Saturday, February 23, at 8 p.m. The concert is free and open to the public.

The program, sponsored by the Vassar College Department of Music, will also include the Quartet No. 2 in G for Strings, Op. 18 by Ludwig van Beethoven, Quartet #1 for Strings by Charles Ives, and the quartet "Death and the Maiden" by Franz Schubert.

The Tourmaline String Quartet, comprised of four of the Hudson Valley's premier chamber musicians, made its debut in May 1999. The success of that performance led to many concerts in Dutchess, Orange, and Westchester counties, as well as in Connecticut. The quartet's active first year culminated in a residency with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra in Connecticut. They will also be appearing as soloists on the symphony's concert series during the 2001-2002 season. In March, they will perform concerts at Marist College and Dutchess Day School.

The quartet includes violinist Betty-Jean Hagen, violinist Rachel Handman, violist Suzanne Corey, and cellist Lisa Bressler. Hagen, a resident of Pleasant Valley, teaches at Vassar College. She toured as a soloist for many years both in the United States and abroad and has won numerous international competitions including the Naumburg and Levintritt awards in New York City.

Handman is a member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. She freelances extensively throughout New York and makes her home in Pleasant Valley. She has worked professionally as a dancer/singer/musician in Bernstein's "On the Town," as well as in other shows both here and in Europe.

Corey is principal violist of the Ridgefield Symphony and Norwalk Symphony in Connecticut, where has performed as a soloist. She is also a member of the Connecticut Grand Opera Orchestra. Corey lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Bressler is a member of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and the Queens Symphony. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Springfield Symphony, and many other local and regional orchestras. Bressler teaches as an adjunct faculty member at Marymount College. She lives in White Plains.

For more information, call the Vassar College Department of Music at (845) 437-7319. Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Cathy Jennings, Office of Campus Activities, (845) 437-5370, as far in advance as possible to request reasonable and appropriate accommodations for the event.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations or information on accessibility should contact Campus Activities Office at (845) 437-5370. Without sufficient notice, appropriate space and/or assistance may not be available.

Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.

This article was posted on Friday, February 23rd, 2001.