The Miami String Quartet and soprano Arianna Zukerman will perform tomorrow as part of the Kent Classic Arts program.

“The Kent Classic Arts is a program formulated to bring in artists from around the world to Kent State to give performances,” said Josef Knott, director of the School of Music.

Though the school brings in musicians from places like Turkey and East India, it also focuses on regional guests, such as the Miami String Quartet, so students can see a global and traditional perspective of music, Knott said.

Students also get to experience performance on a large scale.

“It shows our students how to perform in a hall with an audience because everything changes when you get out of the studio,” said Keith Robinson, cellist in the quartet. “When we perform we learn how to project sound in a big hall . and how to have a stage presence.”

Senior music major Charlotta Enflo said she has seen the quartet perform more than 10 times and plans to attend the upcoming performance.

“(The quartet) takes interesting music and plays it well – they always put on a very strong performance,” she said.

Robinson said the quartet has given concerts at Kent State for more than 12 years, though 2004 was its first year in residence.

Knott, who is in his second year as director of the School of Music, said one of the many things that drew him to Kent State was the presence of the quartet, because not many universities or music schools in the country have a resident quartet.

“I think it’s one thing to bring in an artist who’s here only 24 hours,” Knott said. “It’s another thing to have artists in residence, because there is that infusion, that presence.”

The addition of soprano Arianna Zukerman will also add a new angle to the performance.

Robinson said the quartet always tries to emulate a human voice while playing, and that it will be interesting having someone singing as their guest rather than the usual pianist. “We try to mesh with the voice to make it sound like one homogeneous voice. We try to make it sound like one instrument,” he said.

Robinson encouraged students of all majors to attend the concert for the chance to experience a unique performance.

“Anyone in (any field of study) can appreciate an expertise in a certain craft,” Robinson said. “I think the music we play highlights music from some of the most famous composers in the world. . Whether the music is from 20 years ago to 200 years ago, it gives you a chance to appreciate finer aspects of history and culture.”

Contact peforming arts reporter Jenna Gerling at [email protected].