marian anderson string quartet

MARIAN ANDERSON STRING QUARTET

Founded in 1989 and named after the legendary contralto, the Marian Anderson String Quartet won the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Competition in 1991, becoming the first African-American ensemble in history to win a classical music competition.  The Quartet’s artistic endeavors have taken them to Alice Tully Hall, the Corcoran Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Kilbourn Hall, the University of Southern California and the Chateau Cantanac-Brown in Bordeaux, France. The Quartet’s distinguished history includes performances presented by the Da Camera Society, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.  The Quartet’s members comprise Marianne Henry, violin; Nicole Cherry, violin; Diedra Lawrence, viola; and Prudence McDaniel, cello.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

MARIANNE HENRY | First violinist, Marianne Henry, has toured extensively as a founding member of the Marian Anderson String Quartet. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, she holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in violin performance, from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. She received a second Master’s degree in String Quartet Performance at The Shepherd School of Music in Houston, Texas. Henry is a devoted teacher of violin and chamber music as well as a performer. She has served on the faculties of the Harlem School of the Arts in New York City, New York City College and California State University, Los Angeles. Henry has been a soloist on KUSC Radio’s Sundays at Four, a featured soloist with the List-Glenn Festival Chamber Orchestra, the South-Central Chamber Orchestra and the Afro American Symphony. She has been involved in a myriad of other orchestra work, which includes The Phantom of the Opera, the Academy Award Orchestra, and The American Music Awards.

NICOLE CHERRY | Second Violinist Nichole Cherry is a native of the Washington DC area discovered her dream job in music after hearing the Marian Anderson String Quartet perform nearly 20 years ago at the world-renowned Lincoln Performing Arts Center in New York City. A graduate of the Juilliard School with a master of music degree in violin performance, Cherry performs concerts and educational seminars playing and exploring the essence of European classical music and collaborating with some of the world’s most established artists. Noted for her ability to play in many styles, Cherry has shared the stage with a diverse list of esteemed artists, such as members of the Audubon String Quartet, Cleveland String Quartet, Colorado String Quartet and famed pop diva Whitney Houston. Cherry has also toured internationally, performing and giving presentations throughout the world. In the United States, she has performed in such venues as the Library of Congress, The Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her past performances in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia include a tour as a featured soloist in Israel, Egypt, Jordan and South Africa.

DIEDRA LAWRENCE | A founding member of the Marian Anderson String Quartet, dedicated teacher, and eloquent public speaker, violist Diedra Lawrence, has shared her passion for chamber music through both her instrument and the spoken word. A native of New York City, Lawrence received her Bachelor’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master’s degree from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. She has held teaching positions at the City College of New York, the Bowdoin Music Festival and California State University, Los Angeles. Lawrence has been a guest artist with the Southwest Chamber Ensemble, performed as a concerto soloist for both the List-Glenn Chamber Music festival and the Symphony Camerata and has performed live on KUSC Radio’s Sundays at Four. She has also served as a grant panelist for the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department.

PRUDENCE MCDANIEL | Prudence McDaniel, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Drake University, Master of Music from Manhattan School of Music, and an Artist Diploma from Duquesne University. McDaniel has performed as a soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the United States and in Portugal. Through participation in the Minority Orchestral Fellowship Program, McDaniel was a section cellist with both the Houston and New York Philharmonic Orchestras. She has also been principal cellist with River Cities Symphony Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and an Associate member of the Columbus Symphony.

ABOUT THE 92ND STREET Y

92nd Street Y is a center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. Founded in 1874, it seeks to create, provide and disseminate programs of distinction that foster the physical and mental growth of people throughout their lives. 92Y offers thousands of programs from its New York headquarters and creates community far beyond its four walls, bringing people from all over the world together through innovations like the award-winning #GivingTuesday and the Social Good Summit. It’s transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92Y’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions and ethnicities.