Repertoire
Bartok
Quartet No.2
Quartet No.5
Quartet No.6

Beethoven
Quartet in c minor Op. 18 No.4
Quartet in e minor Op. 59 No.2
Quartet in C Major Op. 59 No.3
Quartet in a minor Op. 132

Brahms
Quartet in c minor Op. 51 No.1

Davies, Peter Maxwell
A Sad Paven

Haydn
Quartet in A Major Op. 20 No.6
Quartet in C Major Op. 76 No.3 "Emperor"

Hindemith
Quartet Op. 22 No.4

Jacoby, Derek
Quartet No. 2

Jorgensen, Erik Jorgen
Aaponi's Destiny

Kurtag
6 Moments musicaux Op. 44

Mendelssohn
Quartet in f minor Op. 80

Mozart
Quartet in D Major K. 575

Schumann, R.
Quartet in a minor Op. 41

Shostakovich, D.
Quartet No. 8

Tower, Joan
Nightfields

Wolf, H.
Italian Serenade

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Repertoire with guests
Chausson
Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Quartet

Dvorak
Bass Quintet

Franck
Piano Quintet

Glinka
Sextet

Mendelssohn
Octet

Mozart
Clarinet Quintet
Viola Quintet in C Major K.515

January 2007

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Educational Programs
The Parker Quartet offers a wide variety of programs that are based on age group, musical experience, and current curriculum. Each of these cover a few introductory points including: who we are, what a string quartet is, and what a composer does. The descriptions below are some examples of the programs that we present. We try to focus each presentation on an underlying theme such as "Teamwork" or "The Folk Music of Bela Bartok," and within that given theme, we try to incorporate a variety of musical selections featuring as much playing of examples as possible.

For Grades K-5:
Example: Chamber Music is like a Conversation

In this program we try to correlate how chamber music is like a conversation by introducing elements of music such as melody and rhythm and showing how these elements create a conversation-type dynamic in the language of music. We show how a melody (or what a person is expressing) can be passed, played together, or challenged by others in the group. When doing this, we like to have the kids guess and imagine what we are saying to further define music as language and conversation. Some interactive activities that we use include asking kids to "find the melody" by placing them inside the group and while playing a musical excerpt, having them quickly find and stand next to the person they think has the melody. Often when explaining rhythm, we use a "Simon Says-type" game with clapping to show how different rhythms can stir up different emotions. Throughout the program, we like to follow the playing of each musical selection by asking the students how it made them feel so that we can present music to them as something stimulating, thought provoking and enjoyable.

For Grades 6-12:
Example: A Musical Journey Through Europe

This program gives us a chance to present to older students the wide variety of music that has been written throughout Europe in such countries as France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Spain and Russia. We offer more in-depth information about composers such as Ravel, Beethoven, and Shostakovich (i.e., where they came from, what their lives were like, why their music sounds different from each other, their different inspirations, etc). We also like to have a map nearby to help them visually identify the different geographic locations of each country. This program allows older students the chance to hear longer, more wide-ranging musical selections while seeing how different cultures influenced composers to write different kinds of music.

For All Ages:
Example: Aaponi's Destiny - A "choose-your-own-adventure" piece by Erik Jorgen Jorgensen

Erik Jorgen Jorgensen's Aaponi's Destiny is a musical "choose your own adventure" with a narrated story. The main premise of the story is about a mayfly named Aaponi who lives for one day with the help of the audience making decisions about her destiny. This can be presented for audiences of all ages. It is a great work to introduce nontraditional sounds and effects often heard in more contemporary works.

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