Silver Birch String Quartet heads back to Banff

The Silver Birch String Quartet (SBSQ) is returning to the Banff Centre for the Arts.

The group will be joined by Sudbury-based pianist Yoko Hirota and composer Robert Lemay for the two-week residency.

“It's a fantastic opportunity,” Christian Robinson, a violinist in the quartet, said.

While at the centre, the Sudburians will focus on creating and developing a collaborative piece that highlights the skills of the three parties. The final product will premier at the Centre, and be featured in Silver Birch concerts during the upcoming season.

Robinson said this is the first time the quartet has worked with Lemay to produce a piece written specifically for the group.

“It's a great privilege,” he said. “It's a really unique opportunity for us because oftentimes... we don't have access to just call up Beethoven or call up Mozart and ask him questions. For us to have the composer with us, and to be able to work very intensively with the composer in the preparation of the material is really rare.”

All six Sudburians will be leaving Greater Sudbury on March 6.

Robinson said he's most looking forward to taking advantage of the equipment at the Centre in Banff.

“Banff is such a beautiful place to work,” he said. “The facilities there are really second to none.”

While in Banff, the SBSQ will also record music by musicians like Franz Josef Haydn, Alexander Zemlinsky and R. Murray Schafer.

The Juno-nominated group has performed all over Ontario, and collaborated with a number of other chamber musicians throughout their career.

To follow the SBSQ's experience in Banff, follow them on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Silver-Birch-String-Quartet/8276069892.