Press
In the midst of their month-long album, documentary, and website launches Miró Quartet kicks off "Transcendence Education Project"in partnership with Carnegie Hall Foundation, the 2016 Menuhin Competition in London
AUSTIN, Texas—Today, as part of their month-long free release of their Transcendence album, documentary, and new website with built-in distribution—the Miró Quartet releases details of the Miró Transcendence Education Project, which is open to North America. The Quartet has already offered a "play it forward" 1:1 model that invites music lovers to get a download of five of their albums including Transcendence for just $10 while giving the same to a music educator that has inspired them. Now they are launching a contest to giveaway a visit to one lucky music lover including a masterclass, a short concert, and a Q&A with the Miró Quartet. This month they are celebrating their 20th anniversary season.
Anyone associated with a music program may enter by submitting a 30-second video to the Quartet's Facebook page describing or showing how musical transcendence has played a part in their lives or the lives of someone they care about. Transcendence can mean "exceeding usual limits", "extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience" and "being beyond comprehension".
"We have been in a bit of a transcendent year ourselves, says cellist and founding member Joshua Gindele, "between the benevolent gift of our benefactor and instrument collector David Fulton that made this all possible—and the response we've had to this idea of lowering the threshold to classical music participation to essentially nothing—we wanted to find a way to inspire music lovers everywhere to share the effect music has on them as well as to personally thank one music program here in North America." The Quartet would like to extend the Miró Transcendence Education Project to additional visits, pending additional financial support.
The Inspiration and Partners
The project's eligibility rules—detailed below—stipulate that every entry needs to be associated with a music program (public, private, conservatory, community based) and Miró's visit must be free for that program's participants, families, and staff to attend. Just as with the "play it forward" donation initiative, the Quartet insists that educators and students have access to the music they so love. The Carnegie Hall Foundation and the 2016 Menuhin Competition in London are partners in the Miró Transcendence Education Project, assisting in pushing this to as many as possible.
Violinist and founding member Daniel Ching explains, "we each started our music education at a very young age and now that we're further along in our careers and doing more teaching, we're eager to see to it that the up-and-coming classical musicians and future patrons have the mentorship and tools they need to succeed." He adds, "When (David) Fulton gave us his gift of support, we knew it was on us to pay that forward and make the music available to as many as possible." Ching began his violin studies at the age of 3 under tutelage of his father. At age 5, he entered the San Francisco Conservatory Preparatory Division on a full twelve‐year scholarship, where he studied violin with Serban Rusu and Zaven Melikian.
These details can be found at miroquartet.com/
Prize
Based on merit as voted on by members of the Miró Quartet and and representatives of Carnegie Hall Foundation the 2016 Menuhin Competition, one winner will be awarded a 2 hour visit in person from the Miró Quartet at an available, agreed upon date with the winner(s). This will be tailored for the winners organization, however will include both a masterclass, short performance, and time for questions and answers with the members of the Miró Quartet. And of course, photos and videos of the experience. The entire enrolled student-base and faculty will also receive free downloads of the available catalogue from miroquartet.com
Eligibility
- No age requirement, encourage all ages
- Every entry needs to be associated with a music program (public, private, conservatory, community based program).
- No instrumentalist requirement, anyone and everyone
- Any questions of eligibility can be posted on the Miró Quartet facebook page