Blodgett Chamber Music Series presents Parker Quartet

Program

John Adams, Fellow Traveler

Ravel, String Quartet in F Major

INTERMISSION

Schubert, String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 with special guest Paul Watkins, cello

Parker Quartet

Daniel Chong, violin

Ken Hamao, violin

Jessica Bodner, viola

Kee-Hyun Kim, cello

About Parker Quartet

Internationally recognized for their “fearless, yet probingly beautiful” performances (The Strad), the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has established itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation since its founding in 2002. Renowned for their fresh interpretations of canonical works and their passionate advocacy for contemporary music, the Quartet continues to chart a dynamic artistic path rooted in both tradition and innovation.

Praised by Gramophone for playing in which “virtuosity and emotion are one,” the Parker Quartet has performed for over two decades on many of the world’s leading stages. Recent seasons have included appearances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the University of Chicago, the 92nd Street Y, and Da Camera of Houston, among others. The Quartet has also been featured at major festivals such as Tanglewood, Big Ears, Norfolk, Lake Champlain, Bridgehampton, Skaneateles, San Miguel de Allende, and the Banff Centre.

In the 2025–26 season, the Quartet launches The Schubert Project—a deep exploration of Franz Schubert’s final chamber works, including his late string quartets and the Cello Quintet. This project aims to contextualize Schubert’s late style through multidisciplinary lenses and performance collaborations. Upcoming quintet engagements include performances with Jay Campbell at the Crypt Sessions in New York City, with Paul Watkins at Harvard and Yale Universities, and with Raman Ramakrishnan at DACAMERA of Houston. Other season highlights include a multi-island concert tour of Hawaii and renewed collaborations with mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron.

Bold programming and cross-disciplinary initiatives are hallmarks of the Quartet’s artistic identity. In 2024, they curated a program centered on nature and heritage, combining music with poetry by Arthur Sze and Victoria Chang, and featuring a new commission by Anthony Cheung for quartet and mezzo-soprano. During their 20th anniversary season (2022–23), the Parker Quartet launched The Beethoven Project, a multifaceted initiative including: performances of the complete Beethoven string quartets; commissioned encores from six contemporary composers; the development of a digital video library highlighting each work; and community-centered performances in non-traditional venues across Boston, including homeless shelters and youth programs.

Deeply committed to the music of our time, the Quartet has commissioned and premiered works by Augusta Read Thomas, Felipe Lara, Jaehyuck Choi, Zosha Di Castri, Paul Wiancko, Anthony Cheung, Wang Lu, Michi Wiancko, Sky Macklay, and Jeremy Gill. As part of Miller Theatre’s Mission: Commission podcast, they recorded new works by Kate Soper, Oscar Bettison, and Vijay Iyer—celebrating the creative process and contemporary collaboration.

Their artistic partnerships span a wide range of disciplines and genres. Past collaborators include pianists Menahem Pressler, Anne-Marie McDermott, Orion Weiss, Shai Wosner, Billy Childs, and Vijay Iyer; clarinetists and composers Jörg Widmann, Anthony McGill, and Charles Neidich; flutist Claire Chase; and violist Kim Kashkashian. The Quartet is also a proud supporter of Kashkashian’s Music for Food initiative, performing in concerts nationwide to benefit food banks and social service organizations.

Recording remains a central component of the Quartet’s artistic output. Their 2021 ECM release, featuring Dvořák’s Viola Quintet with Kim Kashkashian alongside works by György Kurtág, was described by The Strad as “nothing short of astonishing,” and by Gramophone as “defined by virtuosity so agile that it’s indistinguishable from the process of emotional expression.” Their 2019 recording of three Beethoven quartets (Monte Carlo’s Festival Printemps des Arts) earned accolades from Diapason for its “fearlessness, exceptional control, and attention to detail.” Additional recordings include Mendelssohn on Nimbus Records, Bartók on Zig-Zag Territoires, and the complete Ligeti Quartets on Naxos—a performance that garnered the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

The Parker Quartet currently serves as Professors of the Practice and Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at the Department of Music at Harvard University. They also hold visiting residencies at the University of South Carolina and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts.

Founded and based in Boston, the Quartet’s numerous honors include winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award.

About Paul Watkins

Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, cellist Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. Appointed Principal Cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at age 20, he performs regularly as a concerto soloist with major orchestras throughout the world, including eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms. A dedicated chamber musician, Watkins was a member of the Nash Ensemble from 1997 to 2013 and joined the Emerson String Quartet in May 2013. In 2014, he was appointed Artistic Director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit. Watkins also maintains a busy career as a conductor and, since winning the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, has conducted all the major British orchestras and many others in the USA, Europe, Australia, and Japan. Watkins has made over 70 recordings, including 18 solo albums for Chandos, as well as chamber music discs for Decca Gold, Deustche Grammophon and Hyperion.

At the Yale School of Music, Watkins teaches a studio of graduate-level cellists, coaches chamber ensembles, and directs the Yale Cellos with Assistant Professor Adjunct of Cello Ole Akahoshi. He has been featured in performance many times at Yale as a member of the Emerson String Quartet.

Born in 1970, Watkins studied cello with William Pleeth, Melissa Phelps, and Johannes Goritzki. He plays on an instrument made by Domenico Montagnana and Matteo Goffriller in Venice, circa 1730.

Host or Publisher Harvard University Music Department