Viano Quartet joined by Meagan Milatz, piano

Sunday, April 18, 2027 | 3:00pm

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A man and a woman are sitting next to each other next to a cello.
A man and a woman are sitting next to each other next to a cello.
A man and a woman are sitting next to each other next to a cello.

Beethoven and Schumann Masterpieces

The Viano Quartet is one of the leading new-generation string quartets of North America, their performances being described by Gramophone magazine as “invigoratingly fresh-minted…slick, soulful, strong, glowing, and supremely virtuosic.” Their return to Regina is much-anticipated. 


The program opens with a newly written string quartet by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. Fresh off the press and commissioned by the Viano Quartet, Reena’s music weaves together the traditions of Hindustani and Western classical music. Going back in time to commissions of former days, it was Count Razumovsky, Russian ambassador to Vienna, who asked Beethoven to write his three String Quartets Op. 59, completed in 1806. In this first quartet of the set, eager optimism pours forth from the very beginning. Heartbreaking and timeless moments are heard in the slow movement, and a Russian folk song is incorporated into the final movement at the Count's request, with full Beethoven charm and abandon.


Robert Schumann was a great admirer of Beethoven – the year 1842, known as Schumann’s “chamber music year,” was spent vigorously studying the quartets of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven in preparation for his own chamber music offerings. His Piano Quintet was miraculously drafted in only five days and was dedicated to his wife, Clara. She loved the work, describing it as “full of strength and freshness,” and performed it regularly throughout her own great career as a pianist.


Left to right: Aiden Kane, viola; Hao Zhou, violin; Lucy Wang, violin; and Tate Zawadiuk, cello. Inset: Meagan Milatz, piano.

PROGRAM

Reena Esmail

Newly commissioned work (title TBD) 



Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet No. 7, Op. 59 No. 1


– Intermission –



Robert Schumann

Piano Quintet, Op. 44



Program subject to change



  • Viano Quartet Biography

    Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet has quickly soared to international acclaim as one of the most dynamic and in-demand string quartets of their generation. Winners of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2025, the ensemble has captivated audiences worldwide ever since they were awarded First Prize at the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition, with appearances at renowned venues such as Lincoln Center in New York, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, Hong Kong’s City Hall, and London’s Wigmore Hall. The Viano Quartet are Bowers Program Artists at The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 2024-2027.



    The Viano Quartet has collaborated with many of the world’s finest artists, including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Fleur Barron, Mahan Esfahani, Marc-André Hamelin, James Ehnes, Bridget Kibbey, Paul Neubauer, David Shifrin, and Pinchas Zukerman. Their past 2025/2026 season featured exciting collaborations with artists including mandolinist Avi Avital, pianists Sir Stephen Hough and Gilbert Kalish, clarinetist Anthony McGill, guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, and singer-songwriter Vienna Teng.



    Equally committed to both beloved masterworks and contemporary repertoire, the Viano Quartet actively collaborates with today’s leading composers, including Sir Stephen Hough, Kevin Lau, Chris Rogerson, and Caroline Shaw. 


    The Viano Quartet was formed in Los Angeles at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in 2015. Each member of the quartet is grateful for the unwavering support from their mentors at the Curtis Institute and Colburn Conservatory, including members of the Dover, Guarneri, and Tokyo string quartets. The quartet performs on a matched set of instruments by Matteo Goffriller, generously provided by Canimex Inc. (Drummondville, Québec, Canada).


    "Viano" is a portmanteau that symbolizes how the four individual instruments of a string quartet – each beginning with the letter "v" – work harmoniously as one, like a piano, creating a unified instrument called the "Viano."

  • Meagan Milatz Biography

    Meagan Milatz, pianist, is the winner of the 2025-2028 Mécénat Musica Prix Goyer, the biggest prize in Canada and one of the largest in the world for a collaborative emerging artist in classical music. Awarded the 2024 Prix Opus “Discovery of the Year”, Meagan is “a remarkable pianist with a seemingly limitless palette of expression” (Le Devoir). Meagan regularly shares the stage with top international musicians, including Andrew Wan, concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra; Stefan Dohr, Principal Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic; Kai Gleusteen, concertmaster of the Orchestra del Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona; cellist Matt Haimovitz; and mandolinist Avi Avital. As a soloist, Meagan has appeared with the Edmonton, Regina, Sherbrooke, Saskatoon, and McGill Symphonies. Meagan has performed in concert in Ireland (New Ross Piano Festival), France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Scotland, and Malta. As part of the duo "meagan&amy", she won the first-ever 50-concert Pan-Canadian Tour offered by Jeunesses Musicales Canada, Debut Atlantic, and Prairie Debut. Meagan has a recording contract with ATMA Classique for nine albums of solo and chamber music.

Riveting, tigerish, and precise.


– Seen and Heard International