In its 11th season, the Axiom Quartet presents: Origin Stories, at the Houston Saengerbund Saengerhalle (1703 Heights Blvd). This season, the Quartet members offer windows into the music and experiences that have shaped our music making, careers, and personal perspectives. Each concert is hosted and narrated by the quartet member who designed it, in conversation with the audience and the rest of Axiom. Join us to probe the “hows” and “whys” of the backgrounds, missions, and compulsions that brought us together and shape our music-making. 

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On November 5, 2023, violinist Matt Lammers will host Full Circle: Charles Ives’ quirky and lovably chaotic Quartet No. 1 “From the Salvation Army” and Samuel Barber’s one and only Quartet, home of the iconic Adagio.

About this Program:  “In 2021, my wife Marisa Ishikawa and I founded the Opus 1 Chamber Music School. Full Circle reopens the book on two pieces that sucked me devotedly into the incomparable world of chamber music in high school, hoping to understand their effect and share it just as compellingly with my students, the next generation of young players.” - Matt Lammers

On March 3, 2024, violinist Dominika Dancewicz will host Leaves of an Unwritten Diary: Krzysztof Penderecki’s third Quartet of the same name, the Houston premiere of Henryk Górecki’s second Quartet, and Grażyna Bacewicz’s lyrical yet amusing fourth Quartet.

About this Program: “The title of the first work on this entirely Polish program says it all. The pieces fit together in a puzzle creating my personal ‘Leaves of an Unwritten Diary’. Working with and learning from Penderecki were some of my strongest musical associations while in Poland. Górecki lived in my home town of Katowice, and I performed his music often. Bacewicz shows us how intellectual independence can overcome the limitations of a communist regime.” - Dominika Dancewicz

On May 26, 2024, violist Katie Carrington and cellist Patrick Moore will host Point, Punctum, and Counterpoint: Florence Price’s soulful 5 Folk Songs in Counterpoint, Caroline Shaw’s reinvention of antique inspirations Punctum, and Henri Dutilluex’s set of character pieces Ainsi La Nuit (Thus the Night).

About this Program: “This concert makes a point. It’s an eclectic combination of American and French modern music built on compelling counterpoint between pieces, not just within them.”  - Patrick Moore and Katie Carrington 

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