Reynolda Quartet

The Reynolda Quartet returns to Reynolda House for a concert of works for a string quartet.

The Reynolda Quartet, consisting of UNCSA Music faculty-artists, was founded in 2019 as a partnership between two of Winston-Salem’s premier cultural organizations, Reynolda House Museum of American Art and UNCSA.

The Reynolda Quartet Musicians:
Ida Bieler, Janet Orenstein violins
Jordan Bak, viola
Brooks Whitehouse, cello

Genius In Transition

This program features the genius of Dvorak and Beethoven at pivotal points in their careers. Dvorak’s Quartet Op. 105 marks the end of his American “New World Symphony” period, representing a renewed dedication to his Czech roots, and an inventive chromaticism that foreshadows Janacek. Beethoven’s Serioso Quartet in F minor Op. 95, with its terseness and high energy, stands at the tipping point between his middle and late period, foreshadowing the great late quartets to come.

String Quartet in F minor Op. 95 “Serioso”      Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

      Allegro con brio
      Allegretto ma non troppo
      Allegro assai vivace ma serioso
      Larghetto espressivo – Allegretto agitato

String Quartet in Ab major Op. 105              Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904)

      Adagio ma non troppo – Allegro appassionato
      Molto vivace
      Lento e molto cantabile
      Allegro non tanto

The musicians of the Reynolda Quartet bring a wealth of chamber music experience to this new ensemble, and share a deep well of experience, a unified musical vision, and a deep love of the great string quartet repertoire. They look forward to sharing joyous music-making in the inspiring setting of the Reynolda House Museum of American Art.

Musician Bios

Violinist Ida Bieler has set a standard in the course of her unusual career as a musician of extraordinary scope. Winning major competitions on three continents, she has enjoyed an exceptional international solo and chamber music career, performing and recording in all major music capitals and festivals throughout the world. Critical acclaim and awards have included the Cannes Classical Award, Echo Klassik Preis, Resonanz, Fono Forum, the Strad Selection, and as one of Europe’s first women concertmasters, she led the Gürzenich Symphony and Opera Orchester of Cologne. Bieler was a member of Germany’s legendary Melos Quartet and the Heine Quartet, and she is a founding member of the Reynolda Quartet in its new affiliation with Winston-Salem’s Reynolda House.

Violinist Janet Orenstein has enjoyed an active performing career as soloist, chamber musician and advocate of contemporary music. A two-time winner of the USIA Artistic Ambassador Competition and founding member of the Guild Trio, with whom she played for over ten years, Orenstein has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa and Australia. She has recorded for the CRI, Centaur and Innova labels, and she has taught at major universities including University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, and now UNCSA. Upon returning from a long solo tour at age 32, Orenstein contracted focal dystonia, which made it nearly impossible for her to coordinate left-hand finger patterns. After 17 years she gave her first solo recital in 2013, having worked continuously during those years to recover coordinated movement. These days she collaborates with colleagues Ida Bieler, Jordan Bak and husband Brooks Whitehouse as a founding member of the Reynolda Quartet.

Hailed as “a powerhouse musician, with a strong voice and compelling sound,” (The Whole Note) Jamaican-American violist Jordan Bak has achieved international acclaim as a trailblazing artist, praised for his radiant stage presence, dynamic interpretations, and fearless power. The 2021 YCAT Robey Artist and a top laureate of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Bak was also a Grand Prize and Audience Prize winner of the 2019 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, and the ‘John White’ Special Prize recipient of the 2019 Tertis International Viola Competition. Bak has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sarasota Orchestra, New York Classical Players, London Mozart Players, and Juilliard Orchestra among others, and as a chamber musician, has performed at numerous festivals such as Marlboro Music Festival, Tippet Rise, Chamber Music Northwest, and Newport Classical. Bak currently serves as Assistant Professor of Viola at University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA).

UNCSA cello professor Brooks Whitehouse has performed and taught throughout the United States and abroad. As a member of the Guild Trio, Whitehouse won USIA Artistic Ambassador and Chamber Music Yellow Springs competitions, and he has toured extensively in the United States, Europe, Canada and Australia. He is the co-creator with Paul Sharpe of the popular cello/bass duo Low & Lower, and he has appeared as guest artist with the American Chamber Players, Villa Musica (Germany), the Ciompi Quartet, The Apple Hill Chamber Players, the New Zealand String Quartet, and the Garth Newell Piano Quartet as part of their fortieth anniversary celebration at Carnegie Hall.

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