Friends Of Moorestown Library To Hold Fall Fundraiser Oct. 20

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Avanti String Quartet, featuring members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, will perform at the Friends of the Moorestown Library’s inaugural fall fundraiser. The fundraiser will take place on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the library room at the Moorestown Community House, 16 East Main Street.

The show will include performances by Avanti Quartet members Elina Kalendarova and Miyo Curnow, violins; Meng Wang, viola; and Kathryn Picht-Read, cello. In addition to the musical performances, there will be wine, beer, appetizers, deserts and items available for auction.

Tickets are $40 for anyone under 21; $50 for friends members; and $65 for non-friends members over 21.

• All the children and teen programs at the library;
• Online access to eBooks and mp3 audio books;
• Extra copies of bestsellers both print and eBooks;
• Symphony in C concerts for children (and adults);
• Funding Book Group in a Bag;
• The Manhattan Short film series;
• Other film series (First Monday films);
• Much of the DVD collection;
• Letters from Santa;
• Special Events;
• Museum Passes that provide free admission to Grounds for Sculpture, National Constitution Center, Museum of the American Revolution, Morris Arboretum and other regional venues;
• The FlashScan Self-Checkout; and
• All the library furniture.

They provided the following information about each performer scheduled to appear at the fundraiser:

Read joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 1979 and is the last member of the Orchestra to have been engaged by Eugene Ormandy. She studied the piano with her mother from the age of five and began cello lessons when she was ten. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois and a Master of Music degree from Boston University. A former faculty member of the New School of Music, Ms. Picht Read is now an adjunct professor at Temple University. In 1996, she received the C. Hartman Kuhn Award, given to “a musician who has shown both musical ability and enterprise of such character as to enhance the musical standards and reputation of The Philadelphia Orchestra.”

Kalendarova, a native of Tashkent (USSR), joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2002. She earned a master’s degree from the Moscow Conservatory where she was a pupil of Igor Bezrodnyi. While doing her post-graduate work, Ms. Kalendarova served as a concertmistress of the Ars Viva Chamber Orchestra. Since moving to the United States in 1994, Ms. Kalendarova has performed as a soloist with the Liederkrantz Symphony Orchestra in New York and appeared as a recitalist for the Ascending Artists series. Prior to joining The Philadelphia Orchestra, Ms. Kalendarova played with the American Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Curnow joined The Philadelphia Orchestra violin section in March of 2002. Prior to her appointment, she was a member of the Dallas Symphony from 1995 to 2002. Born in New York City, Ms. Curnow began her musical studies at age three, and by age nine she was accepted into the pre-college division of the Juilliard School. After 10 years in the pre-college and college divisions at Juilliard, Ms. Curnow transferred to Indiana University, where received a Bachelor of Music degree. Upon graduation, she pursued a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory and freelanced with ensembles such as the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera and Ballet orchestras.

Wang joined The Philadelphia Orchestra in 2017. Prior, he was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony and principal viola of the Kansas City Symphony. In addition to his orchestral work, Mr. Wang enjoys an extensive career as a chamber musician. His performances have taken him throughout the United States and his native China, performing at venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, and the Beijing National Theater. He has also performed in numerous highly respected summer festivals and has appeared on several radio stations throughout the United States. Mr. Wang studied violin at the Central Music Conservatory in Beijing. As a teenager he immigrated to the United States to study viola at the New England Conservatory and later at the Curtis Institute of Music.