The Agora String Quartet

The Agora String Quartet, composed of some of today’s finest young musicians, offers a vibrant and energetic new program of chamber music! First chairs of the Orchestre de l’Agora (under the direction of Nicolas Ellis, conductor and artistic director), this dynamic quartet has built a solid reputation based on artistic excellence and community involvement. Their many outreach projects include a monthly concert series at Montreal’s Bordeaux prison, educational workshops with the children of Partageons l’espoir, and many other community activities! Together, they carry the future and a touch of craziness right into the hearts of audiences!

Ravel, jazz and his contemporaries
Wynton MARSALIS: “At the Octoroon Balls” (excerpts, 3 movements)
1. Creole Contradanzas
2. Blue Lights on the Bayou
3. Rampart Street Row House Rag
Caroline SHAW: “Entr’acte
Maurice RAVEL: String Quartet in F major

One of the most important composers at the turn of the twentieth century, Maurice Ravel was at the crossroads of artistic encounters where classical and jazz intersected and intertwined in his musical writing, hence the inevitable association with this work by Wynton Marsalis.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music and Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Caroline Shaw is a creator whose effervescence and imagination are equalled only by the openness of our young quartet!