MEDIA RELEASE – For Immediate Release Tuesday September 30, 2008

Cypress Quartet invites you inside the music

Who says that you need a degree in musicology to enjoy chamber music? Not the Cypress String
Quartet, that’s for sure! Everyone has the chance for a glimpse ‘inside the music’ with this ensemble’s
upcoming series.

The innovative Cypress String Quartet returns to Montalvo Arts Center to continue its insightful
discussion and performance of chamber music masterworks. Over eight Sunday salon concerts
throughout the year two subjects will be explored; “Late Beethoven Continued…” and “From The Artist’s
Studio”; demystifying the passions, themes and structure behind string quartet music.

“Late Beethoven Continued…” explores the music Beethoven wrote during his most trying and inventive
creative period. Coping with his growing deafness and challenging contemporary concepts of
composition, his late quartets are renowned for their richness, complexity and passion. The Cypress
String Quartet invites the audience to experience the process that an ensemble goes through in
approaching these monumental works and offers the listener a new perspective of well-loved music.
Even if you’ve heard Beethoven a million times, you’ve never heard it like this!

“From the Artist’s Studio” takes a closer look at what inspirations drive a composer’s creativity. This
year’s series of four concerts focuses on the link between visual arts and music. How do the lush,
dappled paintings of Monet and the revolutionary pointillism techniques of Seurat relate to Debussy’s
gorgeous String Quartet in G major, Op 10? The Cypress String Quartet explores the connections
between the composer, their inspirations and the music itself. This very special series of concerts
broadens the listener’s experience from the purely aural to include the visual.

At each of these concerts, held in the beautiful and intimate hall of the Historic Villa, the Cypress String
Quartet will discuss the music, demonstrate examples, and provide supplemental musical references
followed by a performance of the featured work. Whether you’re a seasoned music lover or new to
string quartets, this is a great way to get more from your concert experience.

Do you know why Beethoven declared his audience to be “Cattle!! Asses!!”? Find out at the first concert;
3pm Sunday, October 26 at Montalvo Arts Center.

Cypress String Quartet

Cecily Ward, Tom Stone (violins), Ethan Filner (viola), and Jennifer Kloetzel (cello)
Sundays, 3 pm, Historic Villa, Montalvo Arts Center
$40 each recital ($32 Montalvo members)
Receive 20% off full price when purchasing a full series (sold through Montalvo Box Office)
Montalvo Box Office: 408.961.5858 or montalvoarts.org
Ticketmaster: 408.998.TIXS / 408.421.TIXS / 510.625.TIXS / Ticketmaster.com / outlets
LATE BEETHOVEN CONTINUED
Oct 26 Beethoven and his epic will: Beethoven Quartet Opus 130 with Grosse Fuga
March 15 Returning to Beethoven’s roots: Mozart Quartet K 575
May 17 Freemasonry and the political ideals of Beethoven: Beethoven Quartet Opus 127
June 7 Ending the comedy of life: Beethoven’s final quartet, Opus 135

FROM THE ARTIST’S STUDIO

Nov 16 Intersection of Music and Visual Art: Debussy String Quartet and Jennifer Higdon Impressions
Dec 7 Musical Landscapes: Bloch Landscapes and Lees Quartet No 6
Jan 25 Montalvo’s January Composer-in-Residence: George Tsontakis Quartet No 5
April 5 South Bay Premiere: Kevin Puts’ newly commissioned work for the Cypress Quartet
For more information, images and interviews contact;
Hannah Neff at 415.516.6548 or hannah@cypressquartet.com