Change of cellist for Australian String Quartet in 2021
The Adelaide based Australian String Quartet will get a new cellist with a familiar face for next year’s season.
Arts
Don't miss out on the headlines from Arts. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Cello player Sharon Grigoryan will leave the Australian String Quartet later this year to spend more time with her young family and develop an ongoing project with her classical guitarist husband, Slava Grigoryan.
Melbourne cellist Michael Dahlenburg – who toured with the ASQ during Sharon’s parental leave in 2018 – will join the Adelaide based quartet as a permanent member for 2021 and beyond.
“The last seven years have been filled with joy, challenges, excitement, love, and top music making,” Sharon Grigoryan says.
“Coincidentally, it has also been seven years that I have been together with my husband, and it is now time to make a shift in my priorities to be able to spend more time with him and my little boy.”
Principal cellist with the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, Dahlenburg will join the other ASQ members Dale Barltrop, Francesca Hiew and Stephen King when Grigoryan finishes in November – border closures permitting.
“Many years ago, as a young cellist, I was fortunate enough to see the ASQ live in concert and to work with members of the group in masterclasses,” he says.
“This made an indelible mark on my musical studies and beyond, lighting the spark for quality chamber music making, truly the cornerstone of my musical life.”
Meanwhile, the quartet will launch its own streaming platform with the first instalment of ASQ Live at UKARIA, which will feature a mixture of lifestyle content and music performances, on Sunday.
Subscriptions are $40 at asq.com.au