Wilmington College’s 2023-24 Chamber Music Series will present the Janus String Quartet on Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., at the Murphy Theatre in downtown Wilmington.
The Janus String Quartet takes its name and inspiration from Janus, the Roman god of time and transitions, presenting faces that look to the past and the future. Janus brings together violinists Devin Copfer and Kelsey Shaheen with Nancy Nehring on viola and Mark Rudoff on the cello.
They share the artistic mission of “tugging on threads that connect old and new music and weaving those threads into the broad tapestry of the humanities.”
Copfer is a violinist, vocalist, recording musician, registered Suzuki teacher and arts entrepreneur based in Columbus. Her musical collaborations range from classical to avant-garde pop, from arranging jazz standards to hiring string ensembles. Copfer’s work spotlights and grows her community of incredible musicians through purposeful concert design and meaningful audience connection.
Shaheen is a passionate performer and private violin and viola instructor based in Columbus. She collaborates and performs regularly with her husband, Ben Shaheen in their violin and percussion duo, Summit Ridge. In their duo, the couple works to expand the violin and percussion repertoire and bring new music to unique spaces. Sheheen holds a deep interest in the mind-body connection that fuels music-making.
Nehring started as a piano major but ended up with a master’s degree in viola from the University of Michigan, later playing with orchestras in Oklahoma, California, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Mexico and Canada. An experienced arts administrator, She has taught viola at every level and performed with chamber ensembles across the Midwest. Nehring is currently assistant principal viola and personnel manager of the Newark-Granville Symphony and serves as a collaborative pianist for an Ohio State University voice studio and many Columbus-area string students.
Rudoff is an associate professor of cello and chamber music at The Ohio State University. A respected chamber and orchestra musician, he performs with Janus and the Galileo Trio, and served as principal cello of the Calgary Philharmonic and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestras. Away from OSU, he has served on faculties at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, Zephyr International and Florentia Consort Chamber Music Festivals, and is the music director of the Cincinnati Community Orchestra. Rudoff is a recipient of the Ronald and Deborah Ratner Distinguished Teaching Award in Arts and Humanities at the OSU College of Arts and Sciences.
Tickets, which are $10, are available through the Murphy Theatre’s website, <themurphytheatre.org>, and at the door. Students will be admitted free of charge.
A partnership between the College’s Music Dept. and The Murphy Theatre, this year’s Chamber Music Series will conclude its four-program season on April 9 with a performance by a chamber ensemble from the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.