As the Tak谩cs Quartet enters its 45th year, the internationally acclaimed string quartet鈥攊n residence at the College of Music since 1986鈥攚ill soon see a new musician enter its esteemed ranks. Violist and Ralph E. and Barbara L. Christoffersen Faculty Fellow Geraldine Walther will retire from the group and from the CU 麻豆影院 faculty this May, after a remarkable 15 years. Korean-American viola player and award-winning chamber musician Richard O'Neill will join the quartet in June.
鈥淲e feel extremely grateful to have been able to share our musical lives with Geri since 2005, benefitting from her wonderful sound and vibrant musicianship in concerts and numerous recordings,鈥� say the continuing members of the Tak谩cs. 鈥淲e are excited to welcome Richard, who is a friend and colleague of ours at the Music Academy of the West, and whose artistry we have admired for many years.鈥�
Reflecting on her time in the quartet, Walther says, 鈥淚 have loved being a member of the Tak谩cs Quartet and am grateful for all the friends I've made along the way. I am very happy to hand the baton over to the wonderful violist and musician, Richard O'Neill, and wish the group every success for their future together!鈥�
The quartet鈥檚 latest appointment celebrates the extraordinary journey of the Tak谩cs since its foundation in 1975 by four Hungarian students at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest. Each member is steeped in the Hungarian/Central European roots and traditions of the quartet, absorbed over decades of collaboration and commitment, and they are now f锚ted as 鈥渁rguably the greatest string quartet in the world鈥� (The Guardian, May 2018).
O鈥橬eill joins founding member, cellist Andr谩s Fej茅r, English first violinist Edward Dusinberre and American second violinist Harumi Rhodes, who is of Japanese-Russian descent. The Tak谩cs affirms the power of the string quartet to foster communication and cooperation across cultures, nationalities and generations.
Richard O鈥橬eill, who is renowned as both a chamber musician and Grammy-nominated soloist, adds, 鈥淛oining the Tak谩cs Quartet is the greatest honor of my life. I am thrilled to follow in the footsteps of one of my heroes, the great Geraldine Walther, whom I have listened to and adored since I was a child. I look forward to the joy of making music with Ed, Harumi and Andr谩s and will do my best to uphold the esteemed tradition of the Tak谩cs Quartet.鈥�
O鈥橬eill will now join the College of Music faculty alongside the current members of the Tak谩cs, coaching string students and working closely with the graduate string quartet-in-residence, the Ivalas Quartet.
College of Music Dean John Davis says Walther is not only a world-class musician, but a world-class individual. 鈥淕eri Walther, whose exceptional artistry has contributed to the long-standing success and reputation of the Tak谩cs Quartet, will be sorely missed by the many people who have been impacted by her music, friendship, teaching and warm spirit.听She has been a treasured part of the College of Music family, and her immense contributions here will be felt for many years to come.
鈥淭he addition of Richard to the quartet is to be celebrated. Richard is a musician of the highest caliber and we are beyond thrilled that he will become the newest member of the Tak谩cs Quartet and contribute to the ongoing stellar level of the group. We welcome him to the College of Music!鈥�
Walther鈥檚 final performance in front of 麻豆影院 audiences will be the quartet鈥檚 season-closing concert on May 4, 2020. For ticket information and to see a full listing of upcoming Tak谩cs Quartet concerts at the College of Music, visit .
麻豆影院 Richard O鈥橬eill
Praised by the New York Times for his 鈥渆legant, velvety tone,鈥� violist Richard O'Neill has distinguished himself as one of the great instrumentalists of his generation. He has appeared as soloist with the world鈥檚 top orchestras, including the London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Euro-Asian Philharmonics, and he has worked with distinguished musicians and conductors, including Andrew Davis, Vladimir Jurowski, Francois Xavier Roth, Leonard Slatkin and Yannick Nezet-Seguin. He is in his 10th season as artistic director of Ensemble DITTO, as well as artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and principal violist of Camerata Pacifica. O鈥橬eill is a Grammy-nominated Universal Music/Deutsche Grammophon recording artist who has made 10 solo albums and many other chamber music recordings, earning multiple platinum discs. He has appeared on major TV networks in South Korea and enjoyed huge success with his 2004 KBS documentary 鈥淗uman Theater,鈥� which was viewed by over 12 million people, and his 2013 series 鈥淗ello?! Orchestra,鈥� which featured his work with a multicultural youth orchestra for MBC and led to an International Emmy in Arts Programming and a feature length film. He serves as Goodwill Ambassador for the Korean Red Cross, The Special Olympics, UNICEF and OXFAM and serves on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. .
