Location: Samueli Theater, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Date: Wednesday, Nov 5, 2025, 7pm
Takacs String Quartet, Samueli Theater, Costa Mesa, CA
The famed Takács Quartet performs on stage under the beautiful glow of candlelight, showcasing their outstanding musicianship.
Prepare to be captivated by their exquisite performances and insightful musical interpretations. Their program is a lovely blend of classical and modern works, including Haydn’s beautiful String Quartet Op. 74 No. 3, Clarice Assad’s creative world premiere of her new String Quartet (a Schlichting commission), and Debussy’s impulsive String Quartet. The candlelight creates an intimate ambiance that allows you to engage with the music on a deeper level, emphasizing the beauty and emotion of each song.
The world-renowned Takács Quartet is celebrating its fiftieth jubilee season.
Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola), and András Fejér (cello) are looking forward to working on Gabriela Lena Frank’s new concerto for them and the Colorado Music Festival Orchestra. In November, the company will unveil its most recent Hyperion project, ‘Flow’ by Nokuthula Ngwenyama. Marc Andre Hamelin, pianist, will release a new record in the spring with works by Florence Price and Antonín Dvořák.
The Recordings section of the Quartet’s website contains full details on all recordings.
The Takács Quartet is renowned for its inventive programming. In 2021-22, the ensemble collaborated with bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro to premiere new works by Clarice Assad and Bryce Dessner, both commissioned by Music Accord. The Takács collaborated with Meryl Streep on a concert inspired by Philip Roth’s novel Everyman, which they presented at Princeton in 2014 and again at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in 2015. They debuted Everyman at Carnegie Hall in 2007 alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman. They have visited 14 cities with poet Robert Pinsky and perform regularly with the Hungarian folk group Muzsikas.
In 2014, the Takács became the first string quartet to receive the Wigmore Hall Medal. Gramophone announced in 2012 that the Takács will be the first string quartet admitted into its Hall of Fame. The ensemble also received the Royal Philharmonic Society’s 2011 Chamber Music and Song Award in London.
Gabor Takács-Nagy, Károly Schranz, Gabor Ormai, and András Fejér founded the Takács Quartet in 1975 at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, where they were all students. In 1977, the ensemble gained international notice by winning First Prize and the Critics’ Prize at the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, France. The Quartet also received Gold Medals in the 1978 Portsmouth and Bordeaux Competitions, as well as First Prizes in the 1978 Budapest International String Quartet Competition and the 1981 Bratislava Competition. The Quartet’s North American first tour took place in 1982. Members of the Takács Quartet are appreciative for an instrument loan from the Drake Foundation. We are happy to be Thomastik-Infeld Artists.
“Classical music doesn’t get much more life-enhancing than this.” –The Guardian
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