Carducci Quartet closes 2009 concert season

The Carducci String Quartet


How did a celebrated string quartet whose members are from Ireland and England wind up with the Italian name of Carducci?


Well, it was thanks to the mayor of the small Tuscan town of Castagneto-Carducci. The quartet made such a hit when they performed at the town’s music festival that the mayor “claimed” them as its own.


Since then, the Carducci Quartet has gone on to claim top prizes in numerous international competitions and has performed throughout Europe, the United States and Japan. This year, the quartet will tour South America and Australia. And on the way, they will give a special performance on Shelter Island.


That special day is this coming Sunday, October 11. The performance is the final concert of the 2009 season of the Shelter Island Friends of Music, so all the more reason not to miss it.


The Quartet consists of two married couples who were top prize-winning students at the major music academies in Ireland and England. They hold residencies at Trinity College of Music in London and the Cork School of Music in Ireland and are passionate about taking music to the younger generation, performing for school children and coaching young chamber music ensembles.


For their concert on Shelter Island, the Carducci Quartet will perform works by Haydn, Beethoven and the early 20th-century English composer, Ernest J. Moeran.


The concert will take place at 8 p.m. in the Presbyterian Church. Admission is free, but donations are much appreciated.


So come one, come all — this wonderful concert will help carry you through the winter.