Columbia String Quartet Performs
"American Dreams" Quartet by Peter Schickele
City In A Swamp Productions in collaboration with the Arts Club of Washington present a string quartet performance and memorial tribute to composer Peter Schickele (a.k.a. "PDQ Bach") preceded by a champagne brunch
Sunday, September 21, 2025
12:30 pm - 3:30 pm
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
$ 70 Members - $ 85 Non-Members
Columbia String Quartet
Founded in 2014, the Columbia String Quartet dedicated its first season to the study of all sixteen Beethoven string quartets. The following year, the ensemble explored the quartets of Schumann and Brahms. The group has performed most recently at Mount Vernon, the Lyceum (Alexandria), and the Smithsonian. Its members hold positions with the National Philharmonic, the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, the Kennedy Center Opera Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Jane Bowyer Stewart
Jane Bowyer Stewart is a first violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra, which she joined in 1981. She earned both her Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and Master of Music degrees from Yale University.
A devoted chamber musician, Ms. Stewart is a regular guest artist with the Kennedy Center Chamber Players and the 21st Century Consort. Currently a member of the Columbia String Quartet and the Prism Piano Trio, she has also performed and recorded with the Chamber Soloists of Washington, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Chamber Ensemble, and the Manchester String Quartet. Her several chamber music CDs include one Grammy nominee.
As a concerto soloist, Ms. Stewart has appeared with the National Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Eclipse Chamber Orchestra. She plays a violin made in 1691 by Venetian master Matteo Goffriller.
Susan Midkiff
Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra violinist Susan Midkiff, was born in Oxford, England and received her undergraduate degree from the Royal Northern College of Music. She won several scholarships and prizes including the prestigious Muster Award which enabled her to come to America to study with Shmuel Ashenasi of the Vermeer Quarter. Susan has held Associate Concertmaster positions with both the Naples Philharmonic and the Roanoke Symphony and one-year positions with the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the National Symphony Orchestra.
Denise Wilkinson
Denise Wilkinson, Columbia Quartet violist and has been a member of the National Symphony Orchestra since 1982. A native of New Jersey, she earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Montclair State University and Master of Music in Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music. As a chamber musician, she has performed with Denyce Graves, and groups such as: the Kennedy Center Players, 20th Century Consort, Eclipse Chamber Orchestra, National Musical Arts, Chautauqua and Casals Festivals and as soloist with the NSO has collaborated with Mstislav Rostropovich and Christopher Hogwood. Her viola dates from approximately 1780 and is attributed to Johannes Gagliano. Other than music, her interests include many genres of fiber arts.
Kerry Van Laanen
Praised by the Washington Post for her “stunning playing” and the Baltimore Sun for her “beautifully expressive” playing, cellist Kerry Van Laanen has performed with the Washington, DC area’s top ensembles since 1985. As an opera musician, she plays regularly with the Washington National Opera, the Wolf Trap Opera and the Maryland Lyric Opera. As a symphonic musician, she appears with the National Philharmonic, National Gallery Orchestra, PostClassical Ensemble, and National Symphony Orchestra. A highly sought-after chamber musician, she has performed at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and the Mendocino Festival in California. She is a founding member of the Columbia String Quartet, which recently gave recitals at the Lyceum and Smithsonian and participated in the National Symphony’s “In Your Neighborhood” program. She has also performed several times at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, most recently with the Prism Piano Trio of which she is a founding member.
12:30 pm Champagne Brunch
1:45 pm Performance
2:30 pm Dessert reception with the artists
RSVP Online
Call 202-331-7282 or email dining@artsclubofwashington.org for more information.
Online payments are non-refundable. Paid tickets can be canceled online for an account credit up to 48 hours before the event.
