Fry Street Quartet Welcomes New Member

The Fry Street Quartet not only opens its concert season at Utah State University Friday, Oct. 27, but introduces its newest member at the same time.

William Fedkenheuer arrived in Cache Valley in late August to join the quartet as its first violinist. He replaces Jessica Guideri who has accepted the position of assistant principal second violin in the Phoenix Symphony.

 

The Fry Street Quartet is the Faculty String-Quartet-in-Residence at Utah State and is based in the Department of Music. The quartet was founded in Chicago in 1997.

 

“While the members of the Fry Street Quartet selected Mr. Fedkenheuer as the first choice from among many distinguished violinists, it is also a great tribute to the outstanding musicians in the quartet that Mr. Fedkenheuer, clearly established as a world class performer, chose to perform with them,” said Music Department Head Bruce Saperston. “The quartet has already contributed to making our string program one of the finest undergraduate programs, and the addition of Mr. Fedkenheuer, a superb teacher as well as performer, will continue to elevate this program. Obviously, we are delighted to have him on our faculty.”

 

The Fry Street Quartet announced the addition of its newest member in August, noting that the addition of Fedkenheuer ended an intensive search process that gave the quartet the rare opportunity to rehearse and perform with some of the most exciting violin talents of this generation.

 

Members of the Fry Street Quartet collaborated with many outstanding candidates over a period of six months, said quartet member Anne Francis. It was decided Fedkenheuer’s dazzling virtuosity and magnetic character proved a perfect match for the quartet, described in a review as having “luminous, vibrant and dynamic sound and engaging personality.”

 

As a violinist, Fedkenheuer brings an impressive resume. After six years he recently retired as a member of the internationally acclaimed Borromeo String Quartet. The Canadian native is the winner of the Lincoln Center Martin E. Segal Award and has distinguished himself as a versatile artist with performances as soloist, chamber musician, orchestral musician and fiddler.

 

According to Strad Magazine, Fedkenheuer can hold the audience’s undivided attention for every note.

 

His touring in the United States has included performances at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall Presents, San Francisco and at the National Gallery. Abroad, he has performed at the American Academy in Rome, Fontainebleau, Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, Taipei National University of the Arts and in Austria at the famed Esterhazy Castle during the Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt.

 

Fedkenheuer began his studies at age 4 at the Conservatory of Music, Mount Royal College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His performing career was launched at age 7 as the youngest member of the world-renowned Calgary Fiddlers, performing for audiences of thousands around the world and earning national acclaim as the Fiddling Champion of Canada in his early teens. He made his solo violin debut with the Calgary Philharmonic in 1994. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Rice University and continued his studies with Miriam Fried at Indiana University.

 

“In addition to his phenomenal skills as a performer, Will has also been widely noted for his teaching,” said Francis. “His former colleague at the New England Conservatory of Music and world-renowned cellist Paul Katz called Will one of the greatest teachers of his generation. He brings a great sense of joy and commitment to his students, as well as clear and powerful vision for the future of the string program at USU.”

 

Francis said personnel changes in string quartets are common, but saying goodbye to a colleague is difficult.

 

“Jessica decided to pursue an orchestral career, in part, to spend less time traveling and to have a more flexible schedule,” Francis said. “While the members of the FSQ are sad to see her go, we are also pleased that she is finding success as she embarks on this new phase of her career. Jessica was a committed teacher at USU and a great colleague in the quartet. It is always difficult to say goodbye to someone with whom you’ve built something special over the years.”

 

Fedkenheuer has moved to Cache Valley with his wife, Yi Ching Fedkenheuer, who will serve as adjunct professor of violin, teaching a studio of music performance majors as well as private students. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and her master’s degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

 

The quartet’s opening fall concert in Cache Valley will be presented Friday, Oct. 27, in the Manon Caine Russell Kathryn Caine Wanlass Performance Hall. Concert time is 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available at the performance hall’s box office. Admission is $5.

 

The program for the evening includes Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, a work published in 1801 as “Opus 18, No. 4.” The work was written between 1798 and 1800 and includes four movements. Also slated are the Shostakovich String Quartet No. 8 and the Dvorak String Quartet in F, Op. 96, known as the “American” quartet.

 

Shostakovich and Dvorak wrote the selections in three days — Shostakovich in 1960 and Dvorak during the three-year period he lived in the United States beginning in 1892.

 

Contact: Anne Francis (435) 797-3086