Max Stoffregen The California Crest World Premiere, commissioned by Friction QuartetEric Tran String Quartet World PremiereJohn Adams String QuartetFriction Quartet, whose performances have been called “terribly beautiful†(San Francisco Classical Voice) and “chillingly effective†(San Francisco Examiner), exists to expand the string quartet repertoire and audience for adventurous contemporary music. Joshua Kosman (San Francisco Chronicle) declared that Friction Quartet is “an artist who should be discovered” and described their performance as “high-octane music making … a fine blend of rhythmic ferocity and tonal flair.” The California Crest, commissioned by Friction Quartet, is Max Stoffregens reflection on his four-month long experience hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Northern California. The emotional curves of the work mirror the topographical profile of the trail. John Adams’ String Quartet is not his first work for string quartet, but is the first work he chose to title “String Quartet.” This decision reflects the importance of the work—the string quartet repertoire is massively important in the history of western classical music and contains many of the most personal works by the great composers. Their program will also feature the world premiere of Eric Trans String Quartet. For more information, visit frictionquartet.com.