The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is one of the few places in San Diego where you can enjoy chamber music as it was intended - in an intimate venue. The Athenaeum's Chamber Concert Series began in 1990 and was renamed the Barbara and William Karatz Chamber Concert Series in 2003. Held in the library’s 160-seat Joan & Irwin Jacobs Music Room, the six-concert annual series features internationally recognized classical musicians and ensembles, each followed by a private reception with the artists.

21st Anniversary Season, 2010-2011

Monday, October 18, 2010, 7:30 p.m. - Juilliard String Quartet*
Monday, November 15, 2010, 7:30 p.m. - Jeremy Kurtz, bass violin & Ines Irawati, piano
Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 7:30 p.m. - Anton Nel & St. Petersburg Quartet
Tuesday, February 15, 2011, 7:30 p.m. - Carpe Diem String Quartet
Friday, March 25, 2011, 7:30 p.m. - Henschel Quartett
Friday, April 15, 2011, 7:30 p.m. - Patrick Jee

Series Tickets (6 concerts): $198 members/$228 nonmembers
Single Performance Tickets: Juilliard String Quartet, Carpe Diem String Quartet, and Henschel Quartett are $40 for members and $45 for nonmembers. All other concerts are $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers. *Single performance tickets for the Juilliard String Quartet will only be available after September 30, 2010.
Call 858.454.5872 to reserve

The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library is proud to present its 21st anniversary season of chamber concerts. Enjoy chamber music as it was intended—in a warm, intimate setting, where you are treated as a guest in our historic home. Doors open at 7 p.m. Guest names will be on a will call list at the door. Please note that seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. Only members at the Donor level and above receive reserved seating.

Juilliard String Quartet
Monday, October 18, 2010
7:30 p.m.

Internationally renowned and admired, their performances are characterized by a clarity of structure, beauty of sound, purity of line and an extraordinary unanimity of purpose. They present works by composers as diverse as Beethoven, Schubert, Bartók and Elliott Carter, and have long been recognized as the quintessential American string quartet.

Juilliard String Quartet

Jermey Kurtz, bass violin, & Ines Irawati, piano
Monday, November 15, 2010
7:30 p.m.

Winner of numerous competitions, including the 1997 International Society of Bassists solo competition, bass violinist Jeremy Kurtz is a talented musician with an impressive musical background. His recital experience is extensive, including solo appearances at several International Society of Bassists conventions and “Bass 2008” in Paris. He has been the principal bassist for the San Diego Symphony since 2004.

Jeremy Kurtz , bass violin

Anton Nel & St. Petersburg String Quartet
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
7:30 p.m.

An acclaimed Beethoven interpreter, Johannesburg native Anton Nel has performed the concerto cycle several times. Nel is joined by the Grammy-nominated St. Petersburg String Quartet, an awardwinning ensemble. The quartet recently celebrated their 20th anniversary with an international tour. This concert is partly underwritten by Vail Memorial Fund..

Anton Nel ( left) and St. Petersburg String Quartet (right)

Carpe Diem String Quartet
Tuesday, February 15, 2010
7:30 p.m.

Recognized as a quartet committed to changing the concert experience of chamber music, Carpe Diem has earned critical acclaim with innovative programs, electrifying performances and a passion for audience engagement. Currently in residence at Ohio Wesleyan University, they are quickly becoming one of the most versatile ensembles of their generation.

Carpe Diem String Quartet

Henschel Quartett
Friday, March 25, 2011
7:30 p.m.

After a sold out concert at London’s Wigmore Hall, Paul Cutts from The Strad magazine wrote, “The Henschel Quartet’s
concert was a highlight of my concertgoing year. It was as close to perfection as to be beyond reproach. Magical.” Highly
acclaimed debut performances in many of Europe’s prestigious concert halls helped to firmly establish the group as one of today’s leading string quartets.

Henschel Quartett

Patrick Jee, cello
Friday, April 15, 2011
7:30 p.m.

Hailed by Harris Goldsmith from the New York Concert Review as a “gifted virtuoso” with “...lustrous suavity and a a satin-smooth bowing and singing line,” Korean-American cellist, Patrick Jee, is a rising star in the classical music world. As a recitalist and chamber musician, Mr. Jee has performed at prestigious venues such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and London’s Wigmore Hall.

Patrick Jee, cello

Back to top