The University of Iowa Alumni Association’s Lifelong Learning series will present “The Magic Behind the Ardore Quartet,” an exclusive, behind-the-scenes experience with Elizabeth Oakes, UI String Quartet Residency program coordinator, and the Ardore String Quartet. The musicians will perform selected works, share personal insights, and discuss the history of quartet compositions, composers, and passions dating back more than 200 years.

The events, which are free and open to the public, will be held at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, in the Warren Cultural Center, 154 Public Square, Greenfield, Iowa, and at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22, in the Corning Opera House Cultural Center, 800 Davis Avenue, Corning, Iowa. The deadline to register for these events is noon on Wednesday, May 15; visit www.iowalum.com/lifelonglearning/ardore/index.cfm to register.

Other topics covered during the free event include:

• Why most composers use their most powerful and intimate thoughts to create music.
• How Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich resisted oppression through his work.
• Why professional string quartet occupations rank among the highest in job satisfaction.

Concerts will follow the free events at 7 p.m. Tickets for these performances can be purchased at www.iowalum.com/lifelonglearning/ardore/index.cfm. The program will feature works by Mozart, Shostakovich, and Brahms.

Oakes and the quartet will perform the same program in a free performance at 6 p.m. Friday, May 17, in the Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus.

The Ardore String Quartet originally formed in the fall of 2005 at Andrews University; the quartet re-formed at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2011. Its current members are Lucy Lewis and William Gentzsch, violins; Manuel Tábora, viola; and Yoo-Jung Chang, cello. Members of the Maia String Quartet (Oakes, Hannah Holman, Tricia Park) coached the Ardore during the quartet’s first year of study at the University of Iowa.

This tour is sponsored by Arts Share at the UI and is being made possible by a Better Future for Iowans grant through the UI's Office of the Provost.

The School of Music is part of the Division of Performing Arts in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all UI-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, contact the School of Music in advance at 319-335-1603.