Hunt Quartet | Madison Symphony Orchestra's Up Close and Musical Program

Arts + Literature Laboratory welcomes the Hunt Quartet from the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Up Close and Musical program on Thursday, May 22 at 7:00pm. Free admission, donations encouraged.

The Hunt Quartet of the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s Up Close and Musical® program is excited to present this recital! Up Close and Musical brings the power and beauty of classical music into the classrooms of elementary schools throughout Dane County. The curriculum is guided by the Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance model and academic standards for music, bringing the Hunt Quartet into six schools four times each year. Individual quartet members visit separate classrooms to conduct exciting and interactive lessons that send students on a hunt for the concepts of melody, rhythm, expression, and form.

Paran Amirinazari, Violin
Hillary Hempel, Violin
Jennifer Paulson, Viola
Trace Johnson, Cello

Paran Amirinazari

Having recently received her Doctorate Degree at UW-Madison, Paran Amirinazari is a violinist whose teachers have included Soh-Hyun Altino and Felicia Moye. An avid chamber musician, she is a founding member and Artistic Director of the Willy Street Chamber Players and a former member of the Hunt String Quartet. While studying to receive her Master's Degree in Violin Performance and Orchestral Career Skills at the University of Nevada-Reno, she was a member of the Nightingale String Quartet.

Since moving to Madison in 2013, Dr. Amirinazari has been a member of the Madison Symphony Orchestra's first violin section, Concertmaster of the Middleton Community Orchestra, and has performed with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra and Dubuque Symphony Orchestra. Highlights from her time at UW-Madison have included being a winner of UW Madison’s concerto competition, and playing alongside the Pro Arte Quartet for Live at the Chazen’s Mendelssohn’s String Octet broadcast.

A native... Read More

Hillary Hempel

Hillary Hempel moved to Madison in 2018 after becoming a member of Madison Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra in 2017. Prior to joining MSO and WCO, Hillary was a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Hillary attended Colburn Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University where she studied with Robert Lipsett and Almita Vamos. The joy of sharing music with others is a gift, a language, a way to share ‘stories’, to express and create emotions and colors. That, in and of itself, is her goal when playing music whether orchestral, chamber, or solo music. When she is not playing the violin, she enjoys running, hiking, and spending time outdoors in any season and spending time with friends and family. Soli Deo Gloria!

Jennifer Paulson

Jennifer Paulson is a member of the viola section of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and has held positions in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Green Bay Symphony, and the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra. She holds degrees in viola and jazz performance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Northwestern University, and Augustana College. Paulson is a member of several contemporary music groups based in Chicago and also plays locally with bluegrass band. Jen is also an accomplished player of the Japanese koto.

Trace Johnson

Cellist Trace Johnson is a musician from Madison, Wisconsin. Trace has appeared as a chamber musician, soloist, and orchestral musician in a wide variety of ensembles and settings around the world. Equally at home teaching in the studio or performing on stage, Trace is a devoted and thoughtful communicator who enjoys a varied career as a cellist, teacher, and musician.

Trace holds section cello positions at the Sarasota Orchestra in Sarasota, Florida and the Southwest Florida Symphony in Fort Myers, Florida; in Florida, he has performed with Miami’s Nu Deco Ensemble, Sarasota Opera, Miami City Ballet, Palm Beach Symphony, Palm Beach Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Atlantic Classical Orchestra, Boca Symphonia, Orlando Philharmonic, Kravis Pops Orchestra, Symphony of the Americas, Miami Symphony, Orchestra Miami, South Florida Symphony, and the New World Symphony. Trace has also performed with the Fresno Philharmonic in Fresno, California, the Madison Symphony Orchestra in Madison... Read More

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Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.

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