WT’s Harrington String Quartet to Open New Season Nov. 7

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s Harrington String Quartet will open its season with a concert celebrating the start of a new era.

The quartet’s “New Threads in an Old Tapestry” concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 7 at The Church in Austin Park, 2525 Wimberly Road in Amarillo.

Season tickets are on sale now for $50. Individual concert tickets are $20. Call 806-651-2840.

The concert will introduce audiences to the quartet’s newest member, violist Brenton Caldwell.

“We are delighted to present the new incarnation of the Harrington String Quartet,” said Dr. Rossitza Goza, first violin and WT’s Dorothy and Don Patterson Professor of Violin. “Our program not only celebrates the addition of a new member, but it also showcases works by two of the greatest quartet composers, Beethoven and Shostakovich, alongside a new piece by visionary American composer Caroline Shaw.”

The program will feature Shaw’s “Valencia,” Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 3, and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 18 in C minor.

HSQ was established by a generous gift from the late Sybil B. Harrington to benefit the Panhandle community. From its founding in 1981, the quartet has brought stellar credentials and a refined sense of ensemble and musical integrity to performances across the nation and internationally.

HSQ’s collaborative recording with the Phoenix Chorale, “Northern Lights,” was distinguished as iTunes’s Best Classical Vocal Album of 2012. In 2005, the quartet also released a Grammy-nominated album of works by American composer Daniel McCarthy on the Albany Records label.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic One West comprehensive fundraising campaign, which reached its initial $125 million goal 18 months after publicly launching in September 2021. The campaign has raised more than $175 million and will continue through 2025.

About West Texas A&M University

A Regional Research University, West Texas A&M University is redefining excellence in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus, as well as the Harrington Academic Hall WTAMU Amarillo Center in downtown Amarillo. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. A Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, WT boasts an enrollment of more than 9,000 and offers 66 undergraduate degree programs, including eight associate degrees; and 44 graduate degrees, including an integrated bachelor’s and master’s degree, a specialist degree and two doctoral degrees. WT recently earned a Carnegie Foundation classification as a Research College and University. The University also is home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 16 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

Photo: West Texas A&M University's Harrington String Quartet will open its 2025-2026 season with a Nov. 7 concert at The Church in Austin Park. Members are, from left, Brenton Caldwell, viola; Emmanuel Lopez, cello; Dr. Rossitza Goza, violin 1; and Evgeny Zvonnikov, violin 2.

—WT—