Cypress String Quartet presents Washington DC Premiere of Benjamin Lees'
Quartet No. 5 - October 22nd Performance at the Kennedy Center

The Cypress String Quartet has announced that it will present the
Washington DC Premiere performance of Benjamin Lees' Quartet No. 5
on Tuesday, October 22, 2002, 7:30 PM at the Kennedy Center for the
Performing Arts' Terrace Theater, 2700 F Street, NW in Washington, DC.

The composer has described the new work as follows: "The String Quartet
No. 5 was completed in late summer 2001 for the Cypress String Quartet.
It was commissioned by them as part of their Call and Response series
and is in four movements.  The first is marked "Measured" and is the
most complex of the four.  The second movement is marked "Arioso." The
third movement is the shortest of all, barely two minutes in duration.
Marked "Quick, quiet," it is like a zephyr, barely audible in manner.
Movement number four is an explosive one and is marked, appropriately,
"Explosive."

This concert will also feature Shostakovich's Quartet No. 11 and
Benjamin Britten's Quartet No. 3.  Formed in 1996, the Cypress String
Quartet has amassed an impressive list of residencies, fellowships, and
collaborations in six short years.  The quartet was recently nominated
"Debut Artist of the Year" by National Public Radio's "Performance Today,"
and has performed throughout North America.  Members of the Cypress
String Quartet are Cecily Ward and Tom Stone, violins, Ethan Filner
viola, and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello.  Visit their website at
http://www.cypressquartet.com.

For tickets or other information about this concert, please visit the
Kennedy Center online at http://www.kennedy-center.org/, call them at
800-444-1324 or 202-467-4600.

Benjamin Lees' works have been commissioned and performed by, among
others, the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra,
Chicago Symphony, NBC Symphony, Vienna Symphony, Detroit Symphony,
Philadelphia Orchestra, Houston Symphony, National Symphony, Dallas
Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, Texas Little Symphony, the Tokyo Quartet,
American Symphony, Williams Trio, Delaware Symphony, Aurora Quartet,
Pittsburgh Symphony, Sea Cliff Chamber Players, Louisville Orchestra,
Lancaster (PA) Symphony, Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo and
Portland (OR) Symphony.

In 1985, The Dallas Symphony Orchestra commissioned its second Lees
work in three years: the monumental Symphony No. 4 "Memorial Candles"
for soprano and violin soloists with orchestra, written to commemorate
the 40th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust.  The three-movement,
hour-long work was given its premiere with soloists Zehava Gal and Pinchas
Zuckerman to widespread critical acclaim.  Within a year of the premiere
the work was performed by the Atlanta, Winnipeg, and Houston symphony
orchestras, as well as the London Philharmonia and the Israel PhiIharmonic
Orchestra.

Mr. Lees was the first recipient of a Fromm Foundation award for his
String Quartet No. 1 and Sonata for Two Pianos.  He has also received
two Guggenheim Fellowship, a Copley Foundation Award, a Fulbright
Fellowship, the Sir Arnold Bax Society (London) Medal and a UNESCO Award
(London) for String Quartet No. 2.  In 1967, he was an Official Guest
of the Union of Soviet Composers.  He is published by Boosey & Hawkes.
You can find much more information about Benjamin Lees at his website -
http://home.dc.rr.com/bglees/.  You can also read the Summer 2002 edition
of his newsletter Perspective at
http://www.jamesarts.com/releases/july02/BL_nws_072502.htm.

For more information about the music of Benjamin Lees, please contact
Jeffrey James Arts Consulting at 516-797-9166 - tel and fax.

Jeffrey James <[log in to unmask]>