With tremendous sadness, the NYCQ mourns the sudden loss of its first violinist, JUDSON GRIFFIN. He was a cherished colleague, unique in his vision, a close friend, and a loving partner to our second violinist, Margaret.
Please click the link above to read about his life and work.
The NEW YORK CLASSICAL QUARTET brings together four individuals with extensive experience in period-instrument performance and in chamber music of all eras. Founded in 2013, they have performed at the LaGrua Center in Stonington, CT, Midtown Concerts in New York City, the King Manor in Queens, NY, and Museum Concerts in Providence, RI, among others.
MARGARET ZIEMNICKA received education in violin, piano, and chamber music at the Wieniawski Music Lyceum in her native Lodz, Poland. She toured Europe with the Lyceum's chamber choir, winning major prizes at competitions in Spain and Italy. She became interested in period instruments while studying violin and sound engineering at the F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. After immigrating to the United States Ms. Ziemnicka completed undergraduate studies at DePaul University in Chicago and earned a Master of Music degree at McGill University in Montreal. As a member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra she performed under Sir Georg Solti, Daniel Barenboim, and Pierre Boulez. Since moving to New York Ms. Ziemnicka has been performing baroque and classical music on period instruments with REBEL, Concert Royal, Early Music New York, Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Sinfonia New York, Gotham Chamber Opera, and at Museum Concerts in Providence. She performs regularly at Lincoln Center with the American Classical Orchestra, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, the Washington National Cathedral, and at the Musica nel chiostro festival in Tuscany. Ms. Ziemnicka has been on the faculty of Music Conservatory of Westchester since 2000. She is a great fan of jazz and popular music of the 1920s.
KATE GODDARD enjoys a burgeoning career as a multi- instrumentalist. A busy freelance violinist, violist, and horn player, her musical proclivities range from period performance to contemporary works by living composers. Her upcoming season includes engagements with the American Classical Orchestra and Early Music New York, as well as performances at St. Bartholomew’s Church with her quintet Ensemble Melos, and a series of trio concerts in San Francisco. She has recently appeared with the Yale Schola, the American Handel Society at Princeton, and Manhattan School of Music’s contemporary ensemble, Tactus. Beyond classical music, she has performed at the Blue Note Jazz Festival, at the International Festival of Arts and Ideas with the NYChillharmonic, and at ShapeShifter Lab with her (aspiring) gypsy jazz band. As a session musician, her playing has appeared on recent releases by Morgan Saint (Epic Records), Karikatura (Oh So Nice Records), and the soundtrack for the upcoming film A Different Sun. As an educator, Kate maintains a studio of over forty students. She has worked with a number of music outreach programs, including the Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Queens- based public school program “Bach to School”, and her woodwind quintet has performed in collaboration with Lincoln Center Education.
Cellist DAVID BAKAMJIAN performs regularly as a recitalist, ensemble player, and recording artist on both modern and baroque cello. In addition to appearances in New York's premier concert halls, he has appeared several times on National Public Radio and WQXR, and was a winner or finalist in four international chamber music competitions. As a member of the Casa Verde Trio, he completed six critically acclaimed national tours and a month-long tour of China. He has performed as soloist with the Allentown Symphony, Philharmonia Virtuosi, Beijing Symphony, Early Music New York, Bachanalia Festival Orchestra, Musica Bella, the Hunterdon Symphony, and the Lehigh University Philharmonic, and he has served as principal cellist for several orchestras, including the Berkshire Opera, New York Grand Opera, Bachanalia, the High Mountain Symphony, and the Miss Saigon theater orchestra on Broadway. On baroque cello, he is principal cello of Early Music New York, and he performs with Concert Royal and the American Classical Orchestra. He is also a founding member of Brooklyn Baroque, whose CDs were deemed a “must buy” by the American Record Guide. His recording of cello sonatas by Boismortier was released in 2011 to critical acclaim. Mr. Bakamjian was featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Evocations of Armenia, a specially conceived program co-written with actress Nora Armani for solo cello and spoken word. By special invitation, they subsequently took the program to Armenia. A dedicated teacher, he is the director of both the Summer String-In, where he teaches and performs as a member of the Simon String Quartet, and of the three Play Week chamber music workshops for adult amateurs. He earned his B.A. from Yale, and his Master’s and Doctorate degrees at SUNY Stony Brook, and he was a faculty member of Lehigh University for eight years.
Photography by Felipe Gonzalez