Hillsdale College Joy String Quartet Performs Special Concert
Students selected to join the quartet perform on rare string instruments from the Hough Collection.
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College’s Joy String Quartet performed a special concert in Conrad Recital Hall on May 9, the afternoon before Commencement.
“The students in the Joy String Quartet are some of Hillsdale’s finest musicians,” said Professor of Music Melissa Knecht. “It is a pleasure to direct them as we seek to share the joy of music with the community.”
“The students in the Joy String Quartet are some of Hillsdale’s finest musicians.”
The performance included the first movement of Mozart’s String Quartet No. 3 in G Major, K. 156; the third movement of Claude Debussy’s String Quartet No. 1, Op. 59; an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Concerto in D Major; Vittorio Monti’s “Czárdás;” and “Sunshine of Your Love” by Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, and Eric Clapton.
The John E. N. and Dede Howard Department of Music offers a select number of students the opportunity to perform on world-class instruments from the Hough Collection as members of the Joy String Quartet.
2024-2025 quartet members were Zachary Rinas ’26 and Michael Berry ’26, violins; Bánk Bodor ’25, viola; and Peter Andrews ’28, cello.
A gift from David and Bonnie Joy Hough in 2022, the Hillsdale College Hough Collection of Rare String Instruments is internationally respected for its extraordinary quality. The exceptional instruments in the collection are pieces of historical significance crafted by Italian master luthiers from Cremona and Turin during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. The collection includes a Nicolo Amati violin, a Francesco Rugeri violin, a Giulio Gigli viola, and an Alexander d’Espine cello.
For photos from the performance, click here. For photos of the quartet, click here. For photos from previous fine arts events at Hillsdale, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.
About Hillsdale College
Hillsdale College is an independent, nonsectarian, Christian liberal arts college located in southern Michigan. Founded in 1844, the College has built a national reputation through its classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies, even indirectly in the form of student grants or loans. It also conducts an outreach effort promoting civil and religious liberty, including a free monthly speech digest, Imprimis, with a circulation of more than 6.8 million. For more information, visit hillsdale.edu.
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