Dakota String Quartet to perform at SDSU Friday

The Dakota String Quartet of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra will present a free, 50-minute performance at 2 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, in Founders Recital Hall at South Dakota State University’s Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center.

The program will feature one of the most beloved works in the chamber music repertoire, Antonín Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, commonly known as the "American" String Quartet.

The Dakota String Quartet has served as the resident string quartet of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra since 1978. Comprised of principal string players from the symphony, the ensemble presents performances and educational programs throughout the region, sharing chamber music with audiences in concert halls, schools, colleges and community venues across the Upper Midwest.

Joining the quartet will be Joseph Horowitz, one of America's leading cultural historians and writers of classical music. A longtime collaborator with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra and its Scholar-in-Residence, Horowitz is the author of numerous acclaimed books exploring the history of music in America, including “Dvorak's Prophecy: And the Vexed Fate of Black Classical Music.”

Dvořák composed the “American” String Quartet during the summer of 1893 while living in Spillville, Iowa, a Czech immigrant community located just a few hours from Brookings. Today, the work remains one of the most frequently performed and cherished chamber pieces in the world.

For more information, contact the South Dakota State University School of Performing Arts at 605-688-5187.