The St. Lawrence String Quartet will disband after 34 seasons
'We have had the adventure of our lives,' said the musicians in a statement
The St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) has announced that it will disband at the end of the 2023-24 concert season.
The group had been on a one-year hiatus following the death of founding violinist Geoff Nuttall. The ensemble's final season will conclude with performances in Charleston, S.C., La Jolla, Calif., and at Stanford University, where it has been ensemble in residence since 1998.
"We have had the adventure of our lives," reflected quartet members Lesley Robertson, Christopher Costanza and Owen Dalby in a statement. "We can't imagine a more gratifying, challenging, inspiring, exasperating, deeply joyful, heartbreaking, life-affirming experience than this joint effort over so many years. We are profoundly grateful to have had the opportunity to explore the magic kingdom of the string quartet repertoire together — and for the deep friendships, beautiful discoveries and transformative life lessons learned along the way."
Founded in Toronto in 1989, the SLSQ quickly became known for its high-energy, passionate performances. The group rose to international prominence following its 1992 win at the Banff International String Quartet Competition.
The SLSQ was equally regarded for playing the string quartets of Joseph Haydn as the music of our time. It commissioned works from Osvaldo Golijov, John Adams, Jonathan Berger, Mark Applebaum and R. Murray Schafer. The group's discography includes award-winning recordings of works by Robert Schumann, Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Haydn, Golijov and Erich Wolfgang Korngold.
The quartet was ensemble in residence at Spoleto Festival U.S.A. for 25 years. According to their statement, the musicians will remain at Stanford University, performing, teaching, directing Stanford's chamber music program and producing the annual chamber music seminar.