Arts and Events Calendar

“It is easy to see why the Tokyo Quartet has built such an excellent reputation. They play with startling vivacity and subtle reserve ... their fervor for the music is contagious; the audience can’t help but be swept away with them.” — Chicago Maroon

Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike. The quartet — Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (viola) and Clive Greensmith (cello) — has collaborated with a remarkable array of artists and composers, built a comprehensive catalogue of critically acclaimed recordings, and established a distinguished teaching record. Performing more than 100 concerts worldwide each season, the quartet has garnered a devoted international following that extends to all four corners of the world, from Australia to Estonia to Scandinavia and the Far East.

In an extraordinary residency at USC organized by internationally renowned musician Midori Goto, the quartet will participate in events with USC Athletics, the Brain and Creativity Institute and the USC Annenberg School for Communication. This stimulating week of events will culminate with an evening of concert and conversation.

Schedule of Events

The Playing Field: Music and Athletics
Monday, November 3, 7 p.m.
Heritage Hall
In a collaboration between the strings department and the USC physical development program, this workshop will compare various aspects of music and athletic performances, from warming up the body to the concentration needed to work in front of an audience. How does individual ability impact one’s role in the team/collaborative setting? How does creativity or improvisation factor into the execution of predetermined plays? USC head strength-and-conditioning coach Chris Carlisle will oversee all physical activity done by the quartet and USC student-athletes.

The Musical Mind
Wednesday, November 5, 2 p.m.
Hedco Neurosciences Building, Room 100
Led by Drs. Antonio and Hanna Damasio, co-directors of the USC College’s Brain and Creativity Institute, this workshop will focus on the neurological aspects of music-making — particularly memory and the unique qualities of a “creative brain.” The institute will give memory tests and develop memorization techniques to be tried or demonstrated by the Tokyo String Quartet and the student-athletes, and each participant will explain his or her own process of committing music or game plays to memory in anticipation of concerts or competition.

Creativity in Arts Reporting
Wednesday, November 5, 7:30 p.m.
Annenberg Auditorium
The journalism department will explore the interpretive responsibilities of musicians and journalists and the need for creativity in expressing already existing content (music and news) to their respective audiences. The quartet’s members will provide musicians’ perspective on the relationship between the artist and the media. They will also perform for students’ review, serve as interview subjects and engage students in dialogue about the media’s artistic license. USC visiting professor and Pulitzer Prize–winning music critic Tim Page will offer advice on how to work with artists and create an effective analysis of live art and culture.

Culminating Seminar and Finale Performance
Thursday, November 6, 8 p.m.
Newman Recital Hall
RSVP is required; for more information and to RSVP, click here.
The culminating event of the Tokyo Quartet residency will be a spectacular evening of concert and conversation. Members of the USC Thornton School, the journalism department, the Brain and Creativity Institute, Student-Athlete Academic Services and the physical development program will present findings from their individual events with the Tokyo Quartet. Interconnected by the theme of “managed creativity,” residency participants will examine the role of imagination and inspiration as relevant to each field, demonstrating the interdisciplinary unity of the Trojan Family. A concert by the Tokyo Quartet will conclude a remarkable week of events.

Organized by Midori Goto (Music).