The Reynolda Quartet returns to Reynolda House for April concert

The Reynolda Quartet, composed of acclaimed faculty-artists in the School of Music at UNCSA, returns to Reynolda House Museum of American Art for a program titled “Seasoned Prodigies,” on Sunday, April 2, at 3 p.m.

Tickets, at $25 regular and $20 student, are available online or by calling the box office at 336-721-1945. UNCSA and Wake Forest University students, faculty and staff get in free with advance registration.

Founded in 2019 as a partnership between two of Winston-Salem’s premier cultural organizations, Reynolda House Museum of American Art and UNCSA, today the quartet includes world-renowned musicians Ida Bieler and Janet Orenstein, violins; Scott Rawls, viola; and Brooks Whitehouse, cello.

The April concert will feature two “mature” works by composers who wrote their first major works before the age of 20: Mozart’s String Quartet No. 18 in A major, K.464, and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in F minor, Op. 80. In the prime of his life, Mozart was newly inspired by the counterpoint of Bach and the quartets of Haydn when he wrote his String Quartet in A major. Mendelssohn’s tragic String Quartet in F minor was his last major work, dedicated to the passing of his beloved sister Fanny.

“We are thrilled to once more welcome the Reynolda Quartet to their namesake home for what I know will be a stirring performance,” said Reynolda House’s Betsy Main Babcock Deputy Director Phil Archer. “I am grateful for our partnership with the UNCSA School of Music, which began four years ago. It has continued to blossom, delivering the finest caliber of musicianship our community has to offer.”

“We are so fortunate to have this world-class string quartet at the School of Music,” said Dean Saxton Rose. “To have such talented faculty members be a part of an exceptional partnership with Reynolda is a gift not only to our students but the community.”

About the Reynolda Quartet

An alumna of the UNCSA School of Music, Ida Bieler joined the faculty in 2013 and was named artistic director of the school’s Chrysalis Chamber Music Institute when it was formed in 2015. She has won prestigious music competitions on three continents, has been a regular performer in major music capitals throughout the world, has recorded for radio and television on five continents, and has appeared with leading international orchestras. She is on the faculty of both the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf, Germany, and Kunstuniversität Graz in Austria. Bieler is the creator and director of the Vivaldi Project, a teacher training program in Düsseldorf and at UNCSA, aimed at educating underprivileged youth.

Husband and wife string musicians Brooks Whitehouse and Janet Orenstein are founding members of The Guild Trio, winner of both the United States Information Agency Artistic Ambassador and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs competitions. The ensemble has performed throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Europe and Australia. The trio has been a frequent feature on National Public Radio's “Performance Today,” and has also appeared on the University of Missouri’s public television series “Premiere Performances,” and “Front Row Center” on KETC-TV9 in St. Louis.

Orenstein has performed in the U.S. and abroad as a chamber musician, soloist and advocate of contemporary music. As a chamber musician, she has appeared in New York’s Alice Tully and Merkin concert halls, as well as at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Orenstein has performed at the Apple Hill Chamber Music Festival in Nelson, New Hampshire; the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont; and the International Musicians Seminar at Prussia Cove in Cornwall, England. She joined the UNCSA faculty in 2012 and has taught violin and chamber music at the University of Virginia, UNC-Greensboro (UNC-G) and Wake Forest University.

Whitehouse has performed and taught throughout the United States and abroad, holding artist-in-residence positions at the State University of New York (SUNY) Stony Brook; the Guild Hall in East Hampton, New York; the University of Virginia; and Tanglewood Music Center. As a soloist, he has appeared with the Boston Pops, the New England Chamber Orchestra and other orchestras. His recitals throughout the northeastern United States have been broadcast on WQXR’s “McGraw-Hill Young Artist Showcase,” WNYC’s “Around New York” and the Australian and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation networks. Whitehouse is also cellist for the European-based Atma Trio and for the Low and Lower duo with bassist Paul Sharpe. He has recorded for the Centaur, CRI and Innova labels. Before joining the faculty of UNCSA, Whitehouse taught at the University of Florida and UNC-G.

Scott Rawls has appeared as soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe. He has toured extensively as a member of Steve Reich and Musicians. Recent chamber music endeavors include performances with Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Paul Rosenthal, Andres Diaz and Sergey Antonov. Under the baton of maestro Sitkovetsky, he plays principal viola in the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra. During the summer season, Rawls plays principal viola in the festival orchestra at Brevard Music Center, where he also coordinates the viola program. He was recently appointed principal viola of the Palm Beach Opera orchestra, David Stern, artistic director. He has performed in major music centers around the world including London, Vienna, Rome, Milan, Tokyo, Prague, Amsterdam, Brussels, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Rawls currently serves as professor of viola and chamber music at UNC-G. He holds a B.M. from Indiana University and an M.M. and a Doctor of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook. 

About Reynolda

Reynolda is set on 170 acres in Winston-Salem, and comprises Reynolda House Museum of American Art, Reynolda Gardens and Reynolda Village Shops and Restaurants. The museum presents a renowned art collection in a historic and incomparable setting: the original 1917 interiors of Katharine and R.J. Reynolds’s 34,000-square-foot home. Its collection is a chronology of American art and featured exhibitions are offered in the Museum’s Babcock Gallery and historic house bedrooms. The Gardens serve as a 134-acre outdoor horticultural oasis open to the public year-round, complete with colorful formal gardens, nature trails and a greenhouse. In the Village, the estate’s historic buildings are now home to a vibrant mix of boutiques, restaurants, shops and services. Plan your visit at reynolda.org and use the mobile app Reynolda Revealed to self-tour the estate.

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