Acclaimed Quartet to Perform at CSUN

A treat for classical music lovers is in store Monday at Cal State Northridge when the internationally acclaimed Alexander String Quartet will perform works by Haydn, Bartok and Beethoven.

The San Francisco-based group has performed in major concert halls on four continents and was the first American quartet to win the London International String Quartet Competition in 1985.

“We try to put a strong value on playing lyrically,” said Paul Yarbrough, who plays viola. “We have a lot of different backgrounds and we’ve always attempted to synthesize the different styles.”

The group members are first violinist Ge-Fang Yang, who came to the U.S. from China on a music scholarship and has served as a faculty member at the University of Kentucky, Aspen Music School and the University of Cincinnati; violinist Frederick Lifsitz, who spent several seasons with the Boston Symphony and taught at the New England Conservatory of Music; Yarbrough, principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of New England; and cellist Sandy Wilson, who attended the Royal Danish Conservatory in Copenhagen and Yale University.

“I have not heard a quartet that plays some of the numbers any better than they,” said Beulah Strickler, artistic director and founder of Fullerton Friends of Music. “Every one of the members is evenly matched in terms of their role and ability and the way they project.”

The Alexander String Quartet will perform at 8 p.m. at the CSUN Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St. Tickets are $7-$24. Call (310) 552-3030 for more information.