83R11669 JGH-D
By: Naishtat H.R. No. 703
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, Since 2009, the Artisan Quartet of Austin has been
delighting audiences with its spirited performances of string
quartets by classical and contemporary composers, and the group is
being featured in two concerts during the 2012-2013 season of the
Austin Symphony; and
WHEREAS, The origins of this distinguished ensemble date back
to the late 1980s, when violinist Richard Kilmer and violist Bruce
Williams joined with two other musicians to form the Austin String
Quartet, which was then renamed the Camilli Quartet; over the next
few years, this lineup performed 40 of classical music's greatest
string quartets, ranging from pieces by Beethoven to Bartok; and
WHEREAS, After the two other members accepted positions
overseas, Mr. Kilmer and Mr. Williams continued to perform
informally with a variety of musicians as the Austin String
Quartet, and during those years, cellist Douglas Harvey became a
regular member of the group; and
WHEREAS, The Artisan Quartet was created in 2009 with the
addition of violinist Paula E. Bird, and since then, the group has
performed in many places around Central Texas, including the
Victoria Bach Festival, the Blanco Performing Arts Association
Concert Series, the Twilight Concert Series in Jonestown and Lago
Vista, the Saint Cecilia Music Series in Austin, and the Salon
Concert Series in San Antonio; in addition to the great Classical
era string quartets by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, the group
regularly plays pieces by the great Romantic composers Tchaikovsky,
Grieg, and Borodin, as well as modern works by Philip Glass and
Roberto Sierra; and
WHEREAS, In March 2012, the quartet made its Carnegie Hall
debut in New York, playing before a sold-out crowd in the Weill
Recital Hall Chamber and Solo Music Series, and members of the
ensemble are nearing the end of the two-year Genius at Play series,
in which they are performing a complete cycle of all the Beethoven
string quartets; during the 2012-2013 season of the Austin
Symphony, the Artisan Series is featuring these four gifted
musicians in two performances in the Smith Family Chapel at
Riverbend Church; and
WHEREAS, For the past four years, the Artisan String Quartet
has helped to show that Austin is indeed the Live Music Capital of
the World in more ways than one, and their stirring performances in
Austin, across Texas, and around the nation continue to add to their
growing reputation among classical music lovers everywhere; now,
therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas
Legislature hereby honor Richard Kilmer, Bruce Williams, Douglas
Harvey, and Paula E. Bird of the Artisan Quartet for their talent
and dedication and extend to them sincere best wishes for continued
success; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for the group as an expression of high regard by the Texas
House of Representatives.