Iris Quartet at Erin Hall

Join us for an evening of string quartets by Shostakovich, Howells, and Smetana, presenting works that capture reflection, longing, comedy, and passion.

Programme:

Shostakovich — Two Pieces for String Quartet: Adagio and Allegretto (1931)

Herbert Howells — Fantasy String Quartet, Op. 25 (1917)

Smetana — String Quartet No. 1: “From My Life” (1876)

Our quartet brings together a group of emerging artists, all currently based in Cape Town:

Pieter Joubert (violin) has performed as soloist with leading South African orchestras and currently serves as concertmaster of the UCT Symphony Orchestra. He has won several national competitions, participated in Carnegie Hall’s World Orchestra Week with the Africa United Youth Orchestra, and has received masterclasses from internationally acclaimed violinists such as Pieter Schoeman (SA) and Andrey Baranov (Russia).

Kaitlin Visser Downie (violin) has performed both locally around South Africa and internationally in Europe. She has led various orchestras as concertmaster and is a two-time winner of the Schock Foundation Prize for Chamber Music. An active performer, she appears regularly as a chamber and orchestral musician and combines this with teaching, nurturing the next generation of musicians.

Kristin Comninos (viola) is currently pursuing her Master’s in Chamber Music Performance at the South African College of Music at UCT. She is a three-time winner of the Schock Foundation Prize for Chamber Music, and she studied internationally at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro for a semester. Alongside teaching violin and viola, she performs regularly with a range of ensembles.

Reece Allum (cello) served as principal cellist of the UCT Symphony Orchestra during his studies, as well as assistant conductor. He was the recipient of the J. Gardell Award for two consecutive years and won the Schock Foundation Prize for Chamber Music in 2023. He enjoys an active career in solo, chamber, and orchestral performance throughout the Western Cape and South Africa, and teaches at several leading schools in Cape Town.

Enjoy a complimentary glass of wine with your ticket.