A Holiday ABC: Ariel Quartet, Babka, and Chanukah

By Diana Skinner: Three of my favorite things will unite Sunday, December 13 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time: The Ariel Quartet, Chanukah, and Chocolate Babka. Packaged as a "delicious and musical interactive livestream," the concert/bake-off is free and will be presented from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, where the group is Faculty Quartet-in-Residence. Although Chanukah celebrations in my home have certainly toned down since the days when children were underfoot spinning dreidels, it remains one of the most beautiful and meaningful times of the year for me. The simplicity, yet profundity, of the candle lighting is a tradition that I have fully and enthusiastically adopted. I was moved to read the Ariel Quartet’s take on the holiday, which is that Chanukah "encourages each of us to find a way to radiate light into the world." The formidable foursome is comprised of violinists Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violist Jan Grüning, and cellist Amit Even-Tov. They have performed the complete Beethoven cycle five times over the past five years and in Sunday’s concert, we’ll get to hear a selected work — the famous Quartet in G major, Op. 18, No. 2. I’m eager to hear their rendition of this classic, but I’m probably even more excited to hear Erwin Schulhoff’s String Quartet No. 1 and Steve Cohen’s A Klezmer Nutcracker. While Grüning is the newest member of the group, joining in 2011, the other three musicians have been together since they were students at the Jerusalem Academy Middle School of Music and Dance. Since their inception, they have garnered a lengthy list of awards, including the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, granted by Chamber Music America, Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Székely Prize for the performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, and Third Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. Almost as impressive as their numerous awards and accolades are the photos of their baking prowess. As cellist Even-Tov writes, "In our sound you can hear that we have been friends for a very long time. Our bake-off promises to show another, much sillier side of our friendship. We hope you’ll share in this fun with us." I, for one, intend to and I hope you’ll join me. Sign up at here for the livestream event produced by OurConcerts.live.