Opus One

OPUS ONE brings together four of the leading musicians of our time, Pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, Violinist Ida Kavafian, Violist Steven Tenenbom, and Cellist Peter Wiley. Veterans as well as present members of the world's most prestigious chamber groups including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Tashi, the Beaux Arts Trio and the Orion and Guarneri String Quartets, OPUS ONE is the result of a mutual love of music making between four extraordinary instrumentalists and friends.

As soloists as well as chamber musicians, they are each familiar figures in concert halls throughout the world and have joined together to form one of the most exciting groups performing anywhere. Their dedication to the works of contemporary American composers is reflected in their programming, and the sheer, obvious joy they have in performing together communicates directly to their audiences.

1998-99 marked the inaugural season of OPUS ONE, with a debut at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC to a packed, enthusiastic house. Subsequent seasons have included recital debuts and return engagements in New York (at Lincoln Center as well as on the series "Free for All" at Town Hall), Detroit, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, San Diego, Philadelphia and Portland, OR, all to great acclaim.

University series performances have included VCU in Richmond, VA, Caltech in Pasadena and Duke University. Their orchestral debut was with the Chattanooga Symphony, performing Beethoven's “Triple Concerto” and a work written by Douglas Lowry especially for the entire group with orchestra. OPUS ONE has presented several other World Premieres as well. Along with the Pittsburgh and Cleveland Chamber Music Societies, OPUS ONE commissioned the outstanding composer, Stephen Hartke to write a new quartet, “Beyond Words” which was premiered in December, 2001. The piece, an emotional musical tribute to 9/11, was enthusiastically received. More recently, the group gave the World Premiere performance of a work they co-commissioned (along with the festival, Music from Angel Fire) by the Charles Ives Living and the Grawemeyer Award recipien, George Tsontakis.

The summer of 2007 brought another World Premiere, this one by the celebrated Composer, Pianist and Conductor, Marc Neikrug, called Green Torso. The summer of 2009 brings another premiere, additional movements of Mr. Neikrug’s quartet.

Recent appearances have included a third feature on the popular NPR program, "St. Paul Sunday" and festival performances at Caramoor, Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, OR, June Music Festival in Albuquerque, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in Detroit, Music from Angel Fire in NM, and Mainly Mozart in San Diego. In the studio, they recorded the two piano quartets of Dvořák, due for release some time in 2009. They also recorded works by Aaron Kernis and Stephen Hartke as part of the "Americans in Rome" project on Bridge Records.

An extraordinary experience for the group came in May, 2006, when OPUS ONE performed at Marine Barracks, Washington, DC by special invitation from the Commandant of the Marines and his wife, General and Mrs. Michael Hagee.