Violist

Our Saturday Morning Series has been one of our most popular for decades. These lively and fun concerts with the Alexander String Quartet and Music Historian-in-Residence Dr. Robert Greenberg are filled with great music and insightful, historical, and humorous commentary.

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The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Alexander String Quartet with John Novacek, Piano

Berger Center

The esteemed and popular Alexander String Quartet has enlivened SF Performances seasons for more than three decades, joined by Music Historian-in-Residence Robert Greenberg. Together they explore in music and words some of chamber music’s most intriguing and important composers, their works, lives, and times. Looking back to the early years of the last century, the Quartet and Greenberg will explore the rich history of bright innovation and creation during often dark times.

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg 6

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg 5

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg 4

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg 3

The Alexander String Quartet and Robert Greenberg look back 100 years to the tumultuous social and political era of the early 20th century—times not unlike our own—and explore enduring works of the great music it produced. Programs will include works by Debussy, Ravel, Webern, Schoenberg, Sibelius, and Nielsen

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg

Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

The Alexander String Quartet, having just celebrated its 40th anniversary, has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world’s premier ensembles and a major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco. The quartet has served since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances and Directors of The Morrison Chamber Music Center Instructional Program at San Francisco State University. They have established themselves as important advocates of new music, commissioning dozens of works from composers including Jake Heggie, Cindy Cox, Augusta Read Thomas, Robert Greenberg, Cesar Cano, Tarik O’Regan, Paul Siskind, and Pulitzer Prize-winner Wayne Peterson. Samuel Carl Adams’s “Quintet with Pillars” was premiered and has been widely performed across the U.S. by the Alexander with pianist Joyce Yang. The ASQ’s distinguished discography of Mozart, Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvořák and Mahler songs now includes a veritable Brahms compendium with a recording of the three string quartets, plus a recently re-recorded Intermezzo in A Major, Op. 118, No. 2, transcribed by Zakarias Grafilo.

Alexander String Quartet

Kohl Mansion

A happy habit for a generation of San Francisco Performances concertgoers devoted to spending Saturday mornings with great music and fun, informative commentary. Deftly placed into compelling context by Robert Greenberg, our music historian-in-residence, each program features complete works performed by the Alexander String Quartet.
This season, the five look back 100 years to the tumultuous social and political era of the early 20th century—times not unlike our own—and explore enduring works of the great music it produced. Programs will include works by Debussy, Ravel, Webern, Schoenberg, Sibelius, Bartók, Elgar, and Vaughan Williams.

Alexander String Quartet & Robert Greenberg | Host

A major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, the Alexander String Quartet is equally beloved in its second home, the Mondavi Center. This year the quartet appears with violist David Samuel joining cellist Sandy Wilson, and violinists Fred Lifsitz and Zakarias Grafilo.
All Alexander String Quartet performances will take place in Jackson Hall and will feature Robert Greenberg's lecture on each piece followed by a full performance of the same piece.

Berkeley Chamber Performances is excited to welcome the Alexander String Quartet back to our series on November 1. “This is a group deep in its element, firm in its stride.” LA Times.

Berkeley City Club

A great way to spend a Saturday morning! The beloved and famed Alexander String Quartet and Robert Greenberg explore the chamber music of Antonin Dvořák. These popular and casual concerts combine complete performances with commentary on the composer, his life, times and music bringing depth, insight and humor to the context.  No 19th-century composer wrote chamber music more joyful and melodically brilliant, or more accessible than the Bohemian born Antonin Dvořák (1841–1904). His work is remarkable for its straightforward expressive content, humor, grace and technical polish.

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg,  Host & Lecturer

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2

Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart and Shostakovich, the Alexander String Quartet’s recordings have won critical acclaim worldwide. Joined by lecturer Robert Greenberg, in-house music historian of SF Performances and noted pianist and composer, they’ll bring to life the nuances and history behind Beethoven’s “The Harp” and Schubert’s “Death and the Maiden,” considered one of the pillars of the chamber ensemble repertoire. Don’t miss your chance to celebrate this foundational piece of Mondavi Center history.

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2025 Concert 1

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2025 Concert 2

“They played as a tight group, carefully responding to each other, balancing lines, mirroring attacks. At times, they were as ferociously impressive as a small group of precision fighter pilots going through aerial maneuvers at breakneck speeds.” – LOS ANGELES TIMES

Berkeley Chamber Performances presents Alexander String Quartet

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2025 Concert 3

The Alexander String Quartet stands among the world’s premier ensembles, having performed in the major music capitals of five continents. The quartet is a vital artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the quartet’s recordings have won international critical acclaim.

Berkeley Chamber Performances presents Alexander String Quartet in Lafayette

Lafayette Library - Contra Costa County Library

The Alexander String Quartet stands among the world’s premier ensembles, having performed in the major music capitals of five continents. The quartet is a vital artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving since 1989 as Ensemble-in-Residence of San Francisco Performances and as frequent performers for Music at Kohl Mansion. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the quartet’s recordings have won international critical acclaim. Founded in New York City in 1981, the Alexander String Quartet has maintained an unyielding and passionate commitment to education. For decades, the ensemble has trained generations of gifted performers, emerging string quartets, and talented young musicians destined to pass on their knowledge and love of music as teachers in schools across the globe.

David Samuel

Violist

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 2, 2024

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2 · San Francisco Performances

Dec 1, 2024

Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg · Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Jan 11, 2025

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2025 Concert 1 · San Francisco Performances

Jan 25, 2025

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang 2025 Concert 2 · San Francisco Performances

Feb 4, 2025

Berkeley Chamber Performances presents Alexander String Quartet · Berkeley Chamber Performances

Past events

Oct 26, 2024

The String Quartets of Papa Joe & Wolfgang · San Francisco Performances

Oct 10, 2024

Alexander String Quartet with John Novacek, Piano · Music at Oakmont

Future and recently performed repertoire

Viola in String Quartet in G major by Haydn

Music At Kohl Mansion

Viola in Terzetto in C major by Dvořák

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet in F minor by Haydn

Music at Oakmont

Viola in String Quartet No. 22 by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartets by Haydn

San Francisco Performances

Viola in Piano Quintet in F minor by Brahms

Music At Kohl Mansion

Viola in String Quartet No. 1 by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet No. 2 by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet No. 8 in F major by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet No. 12 in B-flat major by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet No. 14 in G major by Mozart

San Francisco Performances

Viola in String Quartet in E-flat Major by Beethoven

Music at Oakmont

About

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