Artistic Director Cécilia Tsan curates thoughtful musical adventures
under the magnificent vaulted dome of the 100-inch telescope.
The 100-inch telescope is the instrument with which astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered our place in an expanding universe and so expanded our comprehension. The dome for the telescope—designed by Chicago architect D.H. Burnham—is a 20th century temple to science whose acoustics rival the great cathedrals of Europe and provides a unique setting for this ambitious music series.
Zelter String Quartet (Kyle Gilner & Gallia Kastner, violins/Carson Rick, viola/Allan Hon, cello)
Program: Mason, String Quartet No.3 | Puccini, Cristantemi | Mendelssohn, String Quartet No. 2 in A minor
Praised by LA Opus for their “seemingly effortless precision and blend”, the Zelter String Quartet won the Gold Prize in the 2021 Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition. Formed in Los Angeles in 2018, the quartet is comprised of violinists Kyle Gilner and Gallia Kastner, violist Carson Rick, and cellist Allan Hon. The quartet has worked with several distinguished artists including Lina Bahn, Scott St. John, Astrid Schween, Ronald Copes, Yura Lee, and Alasdair Tait, and has collaborated with the Verona String Quartet. In 2019, the Zelter String Quartet received a full scholarship to participate in the St. Lawrence String Quartet Chamber Music Seminar, where they worked with members of the St. Lawrence and Danish String Quartets.
Most recently, they have participated in the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the Aspen Music Festival where they worked with Pacifica, Escher, and American String Quartets, and the Rencontres Franco-Américaines de Musique de Chambre as winners of the USC Ofiesh Chamber Music Competition.
In March 2023, the Zelter String Quartet was awarded First Place at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition
PLEASE NOTE: Access to the dome performance level is via a 53-step staircase. Mount Wilson Observatory is a mile high in elevation so the air is noticeably thinner. There is no ADA-compliant access. Children under age 12 are not permitted.
TICKETS: $55
