Palaver Strings_2024-25_Biographies.pdf

What exactly is “classical” music? Join Palaver Strings for an engaging presentation exploring string music by Bach, Mozart, and Haydn, as well as groundbreaking voices of the modern age. This 45-minute workshop introduces the sounds of the string instrument family (violin, viola, cello, and bass), as well as the diverse voices, eras, and styles under the classical umbrella, with an emphasis on music by women and composers of color. This presentation is designed for grades K-8, with no prior musical experience required.

Outside The Bachs (Grades K-8)

Designed for school orchestra students, this workshop puts Palaver Strings musicians side by side with students, introducing the fundamentals of chamber music and conductorless ensemble playing. We also introduce the concept of improvisation and spontaneity as tools for creative musical expression. This 60-minute workshop is designed for grades 4-12, with some prior string instrument study required. Repertoire will be chosen in consultation with the school’s orchestra director/string teacher and tailored to the age and experience of the students.&nbsp;

SideXSide (Grades 4-12)

Hear the classic story of Ferdinand the Bull with a full string orchestra and narrator! With music by Alan Ridout and text by Munro Leaf, Ferdinand the Bull tells the story of a young bull who feels different from others, and eventually learns to accept himself for who he truly is. This 10-15 minute performance is designed for students age 5-10, with no prior music experience required. Palaver Strings or the host organization may provide a narrator.

Ferdinand The Bull (Ages 5-10)

Join Palaver Strings for an engaging and hands-on experience that empowers students to unleash their creativity! Guided by experienced musicians, participants will explore music through interactive activities such as instrument-making and painting to live music.&nbsp; This multi-sensory approach encourages students to explore and experiment freely. These 45-60 minute workshops can be customized according to age group, with no prior musical experience required. Additional costs for materials may apply, depending on the activities involved.

Touching Sound

Music and emotion are inextricably linked; music evokes a wide range of emotions in listeners, from happiness to sadness to excitement to calm. Join Palaver Strings in an interactive concert of music and emotion through active listening, musical expression, movement, and mindfulness.This 45-minute presentation is designed for students ages 5-9. No prior musical experience is required.

Harmony of the Heart (Ages 5-9)

Creative collaboration brings together people from different backgrounds, skills, and experiences. This 60-minute workshop/performance features Palaver Strings and collaborating artists, and includes a short performance and discussion of musical style, cultural values, power dynamics, and strategies for equitable collaboration across cultures, genres, and artistic disciplines. Examples of collaborating artists include Kinan Azmeh (clarinet/composer/improviser), Heather Stewart (modern dance), Chris Pattishall (jazz pianist), and Lauren Stevens (traditional Wabanaki song). This presentation is designed for students age 8 and up, with no prior musical experience required. Note that this workshop is dependent on the availability of collaborators, must be booked at least one year in advance, and that additional costs for guest artists may apply. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Come Together: Palaver and Friends (Ages 8+)

Palaver Strings–Photos for Public Download.zip

Palaver Strings

Featuring Grammy award-winning tenor Nicholas Phan, this program explores our country’s rich legacy of protest songs. Repertoire includes traditional songs of protest and music inspired by social movements and historical events, including Nico Muhly’s Stranger, Akenya Seymour’s Fear the Lamb, and a new commission by Errollyn Wallen. Spanning genres, eras, and movements, A Change Is Gonna Come provokes conversation, confronts our past and present, and celebrates the act of protest as one of our most precious rights.

A Change is Gonna Come - Album Release 

Centered around a new commission for Palaver entitled ḥawwāsh, written by Kareem Roustom, Dancing Home explores the interconnected nature of dance music to cultural heritage, our sense of belonging, and what it means to make your home in a new place. The ḥawwāsh is the lead dancer in traditional Arab dance from the near east who sets the tone and pace for a given dance which the other dancers follow and support. In Roustom’s new piece, each member of Palaver can be the ḥawwāsh at any given moment. This work grapples with the anguish of displacement and the uncertainties of life in unfamiliar settings, but also celebrates the resilience needed to survive and thrive. Another piece commissioned by Palaver Strings in 2023, Kinan Azmeh’s Syrian Dances explores similar themes of finding home and belonging through the vehicle of traditional dance melodies. Paired with this is Bela Bartok’s iconic Romanian Folk Dances, a piece many will recognize but played in Palaver’s own way with the solo line passed among the many players and instruments. The program is rounded out with a set of original fiddle tunes by Jamie Oshima and Palaver’s own Maya French.

Dancing Home

Palaver Strings revisits Ready or Not, a celebration of the groundbreaking visions of female composers from the renaissance to the present day. Featuring wide ranging selections by Jessie Montgomery, Hildegard von Bingen, inti figgis-vizueta, Tanner Porter, Sato Matsui, Leilehua Lanzilotti, Pétalo Seslar and Lili Boulanger, Ready Or Not celebrates the diverse voices and unique artistic visions of women throughout the ages, who have always made music whether the world was ready or not.

Ready or Not Revisited

Vuyo Sotashe will be featured in concert with Chris Pattishall and Palaver Strings in a celebration of the rich musical and linguistic cultures of South Africa. The program will range from traditional folk songs to works by South African jazz musicians (including by Sotashe himself), with songs sung in Xhosa, Sepedi, and Zulu. The music includes celebrations of women from several perspectives (Sylvia; Mus'ukundilahla, Nkosi; Madlamini), and the interaction of humans with nature (Seliyana).

Songbook with Vuyo Sotashe & Chris Pattishall

With each of these pieces, what we as listeners initially hear is often unclear, fragments of themes revealing themselves over time often slowly and imperfectly. It’s almost as though we are looking into the dark trying to decipher what is in front of us only to discover that what we thought was a small object is only a portion of a greater being. But at its core, each of these pieces is a passage, a journey. Like life, there are twists and turns and bumps along the way. No journey worth taking is ever smooth and therefore, it begs the question of why we embark in the first place and how we change as a result of our experiences.

But There is This

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This 3-day residency will explore the expressive potential of collaborative music-making, storytelling, and protest through song, and how themes of hope and justice can connect us with each other. The project will celebrate the release of the&nbsp;Change is Gonna Come&nbsp;album while working closely with local&nbsp;community members to write their own stories through the lens of Palaver's Lifesongs Project. Presenters can choose which community, and which members within that community, would benefit most from participating in the Lifesongs songwriting workshop.&nbsp; Examples of communities could include: an LGBTQ group, an Osher lifelong learning group, an Alateen group, a group of inmates pursuing higher education degrees, etc.&nbsp;After a day of songwriting followed by a day of revision/demoing, Palaver and the community songwriters will offer a culminating public performance of the songs, as well as the process-sharing discussion. In a tech-savvy twist, the Lifesongs performance and process-sharing will take place on a green screen, so that the live performers can afterwards be transformed into holograms to be geo-pinned&nbsp;in the community for several weeks to come. Community members can revisit and interact with these augmented reality (AR) performances after the live performance has ended, extending the Lifesongs residency impact and engaging community members in a fun&nbsp;new performance format, powered by the AR platform,&nbsp;<a href="https://immersphere.io/">ImmerSphere</a>.&nbsp;Day 1:&nbsp;Lifesongs songwriting workshop. Palaver musicians will work with 3-5 members of the community of your choice to write songs about their life stories or issues that are important to them.Day 2:&nbsp; Lifesongs songwriting revision session and creation of take-home demo recordings. Palaver musicians and participating community members will finish the songs and record demo recordings for the community member's&nbsp;personal use.Day 3:&nbsp;Lifesongs green screen live performance and process-sharing session with public audience, followed by a culminating&nbsp;Change is Gonna Come&nbsp;performance by Palaver Strings and Nicholas Phan1-3 Months following: &nbsp;Lifesongs performances will be geo-pinned in the community as an AR installation to be revisited. Any community member can engage with the hologram performances for free using their own smartphones. &nbsp;A Change is Gonna ComeFeaturing Grammy-nominated tenor Nicholas Phan and Palaver Strings,&nbsp;A Change is Gonna Come&nbsp;explores our country’s rich legacy of protest songs. Repertoire includes traditional songs of protest and music inspired by social movements and historical events, including Nico Muhly’s Stranger, Akenya Seymour’s Fear the Lamb, and the premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s Protest Songs. Spanning genres, eras, and movements, A Change Is Gonna Come confronts our past and present and celebrates protest as one of our most precious rights.RepertoireNico Muhly – Stranger Roberta Slavitt, Alfred Hayes, Malvina Reynolds, arr. Domenic Salerni – Freedom is a Constant Struggle/I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill/It Isn't Nice Harry Burleigh/ Langston Hughes, arr. Ian Gottlieb – Lovely, Dark and Lonely One Abel Meeropol/Billie Holiday, arr. Jonathan Bingham – Strange Fruit Akenya Seymour – Fear the Lamb Bob Dylan, arr. Domenic Salerni – Blowin’ in the Wind Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, Phil Ochs, arr. Domenic Salerni – Fiddle and the Drum/Where Have all the Flowers Gone/What Are You Fighting For? Errollyn Wallen – Protest Songs (Project Commission) Sam Cooke, arr. Domenic Salerni – A Change is Gonna Come

featuring Palaver Strings and Nicholas Phan

A Change is Gonna Come Performance and Lifesongs Project

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Duo Kayo_2023-24_Biographies.pdf

Duo Kayo—Photos for Public Download.zip

Duo Kayo

Take a tour of millennial American music with this wild collection of works by some of the most talented and inspiring voices of the 21st century. With pieces ranging from expansive and richly harmonic, to avant-garde and aleatoric, this program is sure to have something for everyone.

Americana Contemporanea

Homeward Bound

No one expects a viola cello duo, but what about two viola cello duos put together?! On this program, duo kayo explores the vast range of repertoire composed or arranged for viola and cello. And for la bombe surprise the duo will be joined by two local artists for a double dose of viola and cello in two amazing quartets.&nbsp;

An Unexpected Pairing

For the ultra-refined classical music lover, this program offers a delectable sampling of works by some of the 18th century’s most well-known composers, as well as a few you might not know!

The Classical (in) Style

viola and cello

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Mariana Ramirez_2023-24_Biographies.pdf

Introducing the percussion family while demonstrating the instruments. Open with a piece together. Then, one by one, one person describes the snare drum, demonstrating it. The next person can demonstrate a tambourine, relating it to the snare drum, and playing a little on it. We can also discuss the sister instrument of the tambourine, the pandeiro, and its rich cultural history. Next, we can discuss pitched versus unpitched instruments. The next person can introduce the mallet instruments and discuss the origins in Africa and South/Central America. We can end by selecting a few students to come up, one by one, and have a mini lesson on each instrument.

What is Percussion? (Grades 2–6)

Students will be able to learn rhythms and history from countries such as Cuba, Mexico, Ghana, and Russia. They will learn how to play the clave, how to play a valse, how to play a zapateado from Mexico, and songs from Africa.

Rhythms of the World (Middle School)

Mariana Ramirez—Photos for Public Download.zip

Mariana Ramírez

Program 1: The Sounds of the Concrete

Program 2

percussion

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Excelsis Percussion Quartet_ 2023-24_Biographies.pdf

Review all of the above, making a condensed version. Add on more facts about percussion within the different genres of music. For example, the creation of the bass drum pedal in New Orleans as a part of the parade traditions there. Then, its use in jazz music has influenced all the popular genres we listen to today: blues, pop, rock, hip hop, and country. Play an arrangement of a jazz tune and ask the students to listen to specific elements: melody, repetition, bass line, groove. One person can demonstrate hand drums and discuss the rich cultural history of hand drum playing in Africa and South America.Discuss the makeup of the group and our cultural backgrounds, and the role of female percussionists in particular.Students can go up to try the instruments, one by one, or we can do a canon game where one group repeats one rhythm, and the other group repeats another rhythm.

The Role of Percussionists (Grades 7–8)

Review the basics of percussion^ (depending on the level). The discussion of pitched versus unpitched instruments, origins of all the instruments, with demonstrations/performances. The class is significantly more interactive, and students go up to play. They can either play their own pieces if they are percussionists, or we can do call and response and break up the classroom into groups to make “canon.”

Percussion Masterclass (High School)

Excelsis Percussion Quartet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Excelsis Percussion Quartet

This program features the great chamber works of percussion that paved the way for new voices and contemporary masterpieces. Excelsis Percussion believes that sound exploration and expressivity are timeless and ever-expanding. This program simultaneously takes a step into the past while looking toward the possibilities of the future.

An Ode to the Classics

This program celebrates multi-genre music through a juke-box inspired performance of pop music with a classical twist. Combined with elements of surprise and audience participation, this program creates a fun and accessible concert experience for all audiences and age groups.&nbsp;

Excelsis Percussion: Pops!

A blend of multiple styles, cultures, and soundscapes, this enticing program reimagines the classical concert experience through embracing contrast and the vast globality of cross-genre exploration. Excelsis Percussion brings together their different experiences and identities to share one unified program of powerful, multicultural chamber music.

Latitude, Longitude

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Thalea String Quartet_2023-24_Biographies.pdf

Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Thalea String Quartet has been recognized internationally for their innovative approach to education and community engagement. The quartet has developed a wide-range of programming which they have shared with audiences across North America, Europe, and China.&nbsp;Find out more at <a href="http://www.thaleastringquartet.com/education">www.thaleastringquartet.com/education</a>

The Thalea String Quartet believes that exposing new audiences to the collaborative and creative power of chamber music is one of the most important facets of our work as a group. Thalea offers engaging interactive performances, workshops, and masterclasses that explore a diverse range of musical and non-musical subjects, ranging from the history of the string quartet repertoire, to the power of non-verbal communication, to American history.&nbsp;Performance offerings include Thalea’s dramatic musical re-telling of Aaron Reynolds’ award-winning children’s book Creepy Carrots. Hands-on experiences include instant composition workshops for musicians of all ages and abilities, and clinics on topics including stage presence and collaborative music-making.Thalea has developed a number of innovative virtual offerings for K-12 students that can be supplemented with in-person engagement activities. Created in 2020 in partnership with the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts,&nbsp;Hello Haydn!&nbsp;consists of a series of five short videos with corresponding response activities that invite students to explore the different roles found within a string quartet. These fun, engaging videos use a classic work by Joseph Haydn to demonstrate how four unique individual voices come together to create chamber music magic! Thalea’s follow-up video series Bringing Music to Life! was commissioned by Chamber Music Tulsa in 2021 and was presented to every fourth grader in Tulsa, OK through the Any Given Child Program.

K-12 Offerings

Thalea seeks to offer fresh and engaging approaches to their work with university students, encouraging young musicians to fearlessly commit to their individual musical voice while supporting and inspiring their colleagues. Thalea’s traditional offerings, including chamber music coaching and masterclasses, focus on elements of collaboration, teamwork, and spontaneity. Composition readings include open rehearsals, workshop sessions, and Q&amp;A sessions on effective writing for string instruments. Interactive seminars explore diversity in Classical music, discovering and developing your personal artistic voice, interpersonal collaboration, and non-verbal communication.&nbsp;Masterclasses and CoachingThe Thalea String Quartet has offered chamber music coaching and masterclasses at institutions across North America, including the University of Maryland, the University of Texas at Austin, the Frost School of Music, and Berkelee College of Music. In addition to fostering a deeper understanding of chamber music repertoire from a variety of musical traditions, masterclasses and coachings also focus on elements of collaboration, teamwork, and spontaneity.Nonverbal Communication WorkshopThis interactive workshop dives into the power of nonverbal communication in all areas of life. Originally designed for first year medical students at Wayne State University (Detroit, MI), this workshop demonstrates effective nonverbal communication in the contexts of chamber music rehearsal, performance, and stage presence, in the hopes of fostering impactful and thoughtful nonverbal interactions on stage and in the community.This workshop was the basis of a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8136361/">peer-reviewed study</a> and was covered in an <a href="https://today.wayne.edu/medicine/news/2019/06/21/worlds-best-string-quartets-teach-medical-students-the-art-of-nonverbal-communication-32642">article</a> for the Wayne State School of Medicine News.48 Hour Composition MarathonThis program, designed for university composition students, challenges young composers to create a brand new work for string quartet in just 48 hours! Developed in 2017, this workshop includes one-on-one sessions with members of the quartet, open workshop sessions, and a final performance and live recording by the Thalea String Quartet.

University Programs

Community engagement has been central to the mission of the Thalea String Quartet since its founding in 2014. Community-driven partnerships have allowed Thalea to perform at soup kitchens, libraries, retirement communities, prisons, and hospitals across North America and Europe. Highlights include performances with the Equinox Children’s Choir, a music program for underserved children in Brussels, and collaborations with Xenia Concerts, a Toronto-based organization that offers adaptive concerts for the disability and dementia communities.&nbsp;In the 22/23 season, the Thalea String Quartet presented adaptive concerts in partnership with Xenia Concerts (Toronto), Calgary Pro Musica (Calgary), and Azure Concerts (Baltimore). Read more about their adaptive concerts here.

Community Engagement

The Thalea String Quartet believes that the joy of music can be shared with learners of all ages. The quartet offers specific, hands-on programming for adult amateur musicians and lifelong music lovers.&nbsp;Virtual Sight-Reading PartyLet the Thalea be your tour guides through a variety of masterpieces and underappreciated classics of the string quartet. Offering performance tips, historical context, and tricks of the trade, the Quartet invites musicians and music lovers of all ages to play along, follow the score, or just enjoy this virtual sight-reading party. The first iteration of this program, presented in February 2021, was a huge success. This activity can also be offered in-person.&nbsp;Adult Chamber Music SeminarModeled after the CHAMPS Virtual Chamber Music Seminar, this adult seminar currently in development invites adult amateur musicians to dive deep into a specific work of the string quartet canon. With emphasis on contemporary works by diverse composers, this asynchronous course offers adult string players the opportunity to continue to develop their technique, artistry, and collaborative skills.

Lifelong Learners

Thalea String Quartet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Thalea String Quartet

This program celebrates five of the most exciting composers working today. Featuring three works commissioned by the Thalea String Quartet alongside contemporary classics from Caroline Shaw and Missy Mazzoli, this concert brings the Hindu goddess Radha to life through the magic of Odissi dance, transports the listener to the blistering heat of Death Valley, and explores the sensory architecture of the Valencia orange. Each of these evocative, original works creates a vividly unique sound world for the listener.&nbsp;

A Woman's Work

In a 1919 manifesto, Erwin Schulhoff declared that “Absolute art is revolution” and that this revolution is most strongly and deeply felt in music. Art is Revolution explores the boundary-defying music of Pérotin, Gabriella Smith, Erwin Schulhoff, and Beethoven, music-makers who have been inspired by revolution and revolutionized music as we know it. Medieval trailblazer Pérotin revolutionized musical polyphony in the 12th century. Smith’s Carrot Revolution, inspired both by Pérotin and by Cézanne’s reflections on the revolutionary potential of a single, freshly-observed carrot, brings the string quartet to new virtuosic and sonic frontiers. Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet synthesizes traditional dance forms with the modernist sensibilities of his age. Beethoven, perhaps one of the most revolutionary figures of Western art music, completes his revelatory cycle of late string quartets with his Op. 135.

Art is Revolution

From Haydn to Bob Dylan, this concert explores the continuing impact of folk music traditions in our contemporary music world. Featuring arrangements of Alice Coltrane and Bill Frisell’s epic take on a Dylan classic, this program is perfect for intimate, alternative venues. This concert also features a collaboration between the Thalea String Quartet and Body Surfer, violinist Christopher Whitley’s song-writing alias, in a performance of original songs written for voice, guitar, and strings.

Folksongs

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The Thalea String Quartet continues their collaboration with pianist and Eighth Blackbird founder Lisa Kaplan in performances of Andy Akiho's monumental piano quintet, Prospects of a Misplaced Year. Composed in 2016, he piece is a thrilling blend of driving percussion, colorful timbres, and cinematic atmosphere.Born in Motown, Lisa Kaplan is a pianist specializing in the performance of new work by living composers. Kaplan is also the founding pianist of the four-time Grammy Award-winning sextet Eighth Blackbird. She has won numerous awards, performed all over the country and has premiered new pieces by hundreds of composers, including Andy Akiho, Chen Yi, Derek Bermel, Jennifer Higdon, Amy Beth Kirsten, David Lang, Nico Muhly, George Perle and Steve Reich. Kaplan has had the great pleasure to collaborate and make music with an eclectic array of incredibly talented people, including Mario Batali, Jeremy Denk, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Glenn Kotche, Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie Prince Billy), Gustavo Santaolalla, Robert Spano, Dawn Upshaw, and Michael Ward-Bergeman, to name a few. Recently she has greatly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to do some composing and arranging for Eighth Blackbird. Kaplan is a true foodie, gourmet cook, avid reader, crossword and Scrabble addict, enjoys baking ridiculously complicated pastry and loves outdoor adventures. She has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, braved the Australian outback, stared an enormous elephant in the face in Tanzania’s Ngorogoro Crater, and survived close encounters with grizzly bears in the Brooks Range of Alaska.

Prospects of a Misplaced Year

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The Thalea String Quartet joins young virtuoso cellist Sterling Elliott in performances and programs featuring works for string quintet. In addition to Schubert’s monumental Cello Quintet, they will also be exploring brand new works alongside hidden gems of the quintet repertoire.&nbsp;This exciting collaboration follows a successful joint educational and community engagement residency with Chamber Music Tulsa earlier this year. The quartet performed for thousands of school children, offered community concerts at facilities serving those experiencing homelessness, and performed public concerts at Tulsa’s Downtown Library and the Philbrook Museum of Art. The quartet also gave the live premiere of Anthony R. Green’s Sacred Ground, a work commissioned by Chamber Music Tulsa to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre. Program Offering:Schubert, InterpolatedHenry Purcell - Fantasy on One NoteFranz Schubert - String Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956: i. Allegro ma non troppo&nbsp;Tanya Tagaq - Sivunittinni (arr. by Jacob Garchik and the Thalea String Quartet)Franz Schubert - String Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956: ii. Adagio- intermission -Paul Wiancko - Only Ever UsFranz Schubert - String Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956: iii. Scherzo. Presto - Trio. Andante sostenuto.Franz Schubert - String Quintet in C major, Op. 163, D. 956: iv. Allegretto&nbsp;The Thalea String Quartet teams up with virtuoso cellist Sterling Elliott in a one-of-a-kind collaborative performance that presents Schubert’s timeless Cello Quintet as you’ve never heard it before!This program re-examines Schubert’s classic by pairing the work with string quintet repertoire that spans 350 years. Each movement of Schubert’s quintet is paired with a unique string quintet work that travels across time, tradition, and musical language..These interpolations, including music by Tanya Tagaq, Purcell, and Paul Wiancko, re-contextualize Schubert’s timeless classic, shining new light on the work’s timbres, textures, and emotional depth.&nbsp;Biographies<a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/thalea-string-quartet#section-biography">Thalea String Quartet</a>Sterling ElliottAcclaimed for his stellar stage presence and joyous musicianship, cellist Sterling Elliott is a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition. Already in his young career, he has appeared with such major orchestras as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. This summer, he made his Aspen Festival debut, performing the Brahms Double Concerto with Gil Shaham, and he made his German debut in Munich in May 2022.The 2022-2023 season will see his debuts with the Colorado Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and Ft. Worth Symphony, among others, with return appearances including the Buffalo Philharmonic. He will appear in recital under the auspices of the San Francisco Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, Shriver Hall in Baltimore, the Tippett Rise Festival, and Capitol Region Classical in Albany, NY. In October he participates in the Caramoor Music Festival’s prestigious EvninRising Stars series, a weeklong program of coaching and chamber music culminating in a performance in Katonah, NY. *Sterling Elliott is represented by Colbert Artists Management Inc. &nbsp;

Thalea String Quartet | Sterling Elliott

TSQ ✕ Sterling Elliott

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“To watch the faces of the students as they entered is something I’ll never forget. The next 40 minutes was nothing short of magical.”&nbsp;“Found Sounds” is inspired by the sounds of the world around us. Join the Thalea String Quartet on a musical journey across America, through busy cities, across vast plains, and even through a dragon’s cave! This program includes a wide range of musical styles and interactive activities, offering a variety of sensory engagement levels. Over the course of this 60-minute concert, audience members will be invited to move, engage, and participate in collaborative music-making, all within the context of a safe, supportive, and open concert experience.&nbsp;“Found Sounds” features seven short works for string quartet and electronics by seven young neurodivergent artists. These pieces were composed in collaboration with Xenia Concerts and sound.colLAB, a unique co-creation project that celebrates neurodiversity through music.&nbsp;RepertoireJ.S. Bach - Three Chorales Antonin Dvorák - String Quartet in F major “American”: iii. Molto Vivace The Beatles (arr. Alex Vittal) - Abbey Road Suite: ii. Sun King Gabriella Smith - Carrot Revolution-stretch break with improvised musical accompaniment-&nbsp; Seven Miniatures Rory Berk - Fire Truck Talk&nbsp; Thomas Sinclair - for Fiesta Maddux Ma - Missed Connections Nathan Neutel - Through the Dragon’s Cave Laura Lapeare - Isaiah’s Birthday Anthony Hodgetts - CAPTCHA Woes Jamie Petit - Work Soundscapes&nbsp; Daniel Bernard Roumain - Klap Ur HandzBackgroundSince its founding, the Thalea String Quartet has been committed to fostering inclusion and accessibility in all of its performance, education, and community engagement activities. Over the past decade, Thalea has collaborated with community organizations across North America to develop adaptive and sensory-friendly programming for young people and families from the disability and neurodiversity communities. The members of the quartet have received hands-on artist training from leading disability advocates, including pianist Stephen Prutsman (Azure Series), Rory McLeod (Xenia Concerts), Erin Parkes (Lotus Centre for Special Music Education), and violist Maria Lambros (Our Joyful Noise Baltimore, Peabody Conservatory).&nbsp;In the 22/23 season, the Thalea String Quartet presented adaptive concerts in partnership with Xenia Concerts (Toronto), Calgary Pro Musica (Calgary), and Azure Concerts (Baltimore). In April 2018, Thalea launched a string program to provide opportunities for music education to individuals with autism of all functionalities. Thalea worked with pianist Steven Prutsman and Autism Fun Bay Area to create a unique curriculum where children and adults with autism learned violin, viola or cello together with their caregivers.&nbsp;Adaptive concerts welcome all forms of expressions. Concerts typically last 45-60 minutes and feature short or abridged musical selections, interactive activities, and frequent stretch and movement breaks. Audience members ideally have access to fidget toys and an area where listeners can take a break from the concert environment if desired. The Thalea String Quartet is available for consultation in creating a concert environment that is welcoming to all.&nbsp;Current programming includes specially curated programs for neurodiverse audiences and adapted versions of the quartet’s regular program offerings. The quartet’s most recent sensory inclusive concert, outlined above, features seven short works by young composers from the neurodiverse communities alongside music by Antonín Dvórak, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and the Beatles.&nbsp;Testimonials&nbsp;The quartet arrived and were fantastic to work with. They immediately put everyone at ease, were happy and compassionate to the situation and very professional.&nbsp; After a short briefing they began to play so that the music would already be occurring when the students entered.&nbsp; To watch the faces of the students as they entered is something I’ll never forget. The next 40 minutes was nothing short of magical.Staff were able to share stories of each student with me, and how remarkable this moment was for them – seeing typically violent or disregulated students sit peacefully, students lying down and intently listening, students who normally can’t sit for more than a couple minutes, sitting and rocking to the music. One student even “leaned in” to their teacher, which had never happened.&nbsp; Staff were able to give some distance to their students, not needing to sit or hold them, which is typically impossible.&nbsp; The smiles and wonder on the faces of the students and the staff was incredibly touching, and I must try to pass on their gratitude and spirit of the power of music. &nbsp;&nbsp;These students normally can’t cope with being in groups, due to sensory overload and other challenges, but on this day – they were coexisting and sharing smiles without any concerns. Amazing.The principal said to me “ What we are seeing is miraculous – I’ve never seen anything like it for these kids”.&nbsp;It was truly emotional and special.&nbsp; When students needed to express themselves, either physically or verbally, the quartet was accepting and did not allow it to startle or affect their performance.&nbsp; And they played so beautifully.Staff were taking video and pictures for parents who have perhaps never seen their child in this way…It was perfect, and something those families and staff, including myself will cherish.- Chris Herard (Calgary Catholic School Board)It makes my heart sing and another HUGE thank you to the Thalea quartet for sharing your music and yourselves with these children.&nbsp; You make the world a better place.- Samantha Whelans Kotkas (Education Coordinator, Calgary Pro Musica)I can’t thank you enough for your wonderful Azure concert last Sunday. Your absolutely beautiful quartet playing combined with your huge generosity of spirit was such a gift to our Azure audience!!! The program was just the perfect combination of soothing and fun. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing your exquisite gifts with these beautiful families.- Maria Lambros (Our Joyful Noise Baltimore)&nbsp;Photo Credit: Nicola Betts

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Found Sounds – Sensory Inclusive Concerts

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<h2 style="text-align:center;">&nbsp;</h2><h2 style="text-align:center;">Join us in officially&nbsp;welcoming Palaver Strings&nbsp;to the Ariel Artists family!</h2><hr>We are thrilled&nbsp;to represent Palaver's forward-thinking&nbsp;artistry and&nbsp;voice in the performing arts landscape. Explore our preview to learn more about Palaver Strings and their dynamic&nbsp;lineup of programs and projects for the 2024-25 season.&nbsp;<h3>Who Are They?</h3><a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/palaver-strings">Palaver Strings</a> is a musician-led string ensemble and nonprofit organization based in Portland, ME. Founded in 2014, Palaver has established itself as a forward-thinking ensemble whose mission is to strengthen and inspire community through music. In our musician-led model, Palaver’s musicians share artistic and administrative leadership, guided by a passion for engaging new audiences, addressing social justice issues, and amplifying underrepresented voices.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/palaver-strings" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://d2k153re4i383a.cloudfront.net/Palaver_May2023_087_1fcfb1b832.jpg"></a></figure>&nbsp;Each year, Palaver presents a full series of live performances featuring diverse musical programming, cross-genre projects, and community collaborations. Equally committed to education, Palaver offers quality music instruction through the <a href="https://www.palaverstrings.org/about-pmc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Palaver Music Center</a> in Portland, serving hundreds of students each year. Palaver has toured widely throughout the United States, performing at the Kennedy Center and a celebration of the Lullaby Project at Carnegie Hall. The ensemble recently released its third album, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/6gBlfDrXDHx8SoMiFYqzd8?si=TLJW-xmgR6O2iBeBhfthQw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ready or Not</a>, in partnership with Azica Records. Palaver has enjoyed residencies at Rockport Music, Boston Center for the Arts, Bay Chamber Concerts, and Longy School of Music (2022-2023). Palaver’s current residency at Longy includes regular performances and teaching a graduate course on music and community engagement.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLXexoPbpWz5O6uorZgm3ynVLxAm-5CxHs&amp;v=gkjW4CmSOeU&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arielartists.com%2F&amp;embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arielartists.com&amp;source_ve_path=NzAzNDQsMjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://d2k153re4i383a.cloudfront.net/Palaver_May2023_030_adbb28d59a.jpg"></a><figcaption><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLXexoPbpWz5O6uorZgm3ynVLxAm-5CxHs&amp;v=gkjW4CmSOeU&amp;embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arielartists.com%2F&amp;embeds_referring_origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arielartists.com&amp;source_ve_path=NzAzNDQsMjM4NTE&amp;feature=emb_title" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Watch the Palaver Strings Trailer!</a></figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<h3>“palaver”</h3>“Palaver” comes from the term “palaver hut,” a traditional setting for discussion and conflict resolution found in Liberia and other West African countries. In our early days as an ensemble, we gave benefit concerts for the Liberian Education Fund, an organization co-founded by our Managing Director Maya French, and were inspired by the concept of the palaver hut, as we seek to come to creative agreement when we make music. This concept has remained central to our vision as we expand our outlook to other social causes.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/palaver-strings#section-programs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://mcusercontent.com/2cf7a44ee169236786b861340/images/55b84166-2d5a-9e0e-3e0c-d619deaabf64.png" alt=""></a><figcaption><a href="https://www.arielartists.com/artists/palaver-strings#section-programs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Explore the Palaver Strings 2024-2025 Program Offerings</a></figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3><a href="https://mailchi.mp/arielartists.com/palaver-new-artist-announcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Click here to preview the official mailing for more information on Palaver Strings!</a></h3>&nbsp;For more information on Palaver Strings and their 2024-2025 availability, please contact&nbsp;<a href="mailto:matthew@arielartists.com?subject=Palaver%20Strings%20Booking%20Inquiry">Matthew Kulas</a>.&nbsp;

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Palaver Strings Joins Ariel Artists Roster

<h2>Co-Commission a New Triple Concerto</h2>A worldwide celebration is on the horizon! The <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/delphi-trio/">Delphi Trio</a> seeks co-commissioners for&nbsp;a new triple concerto for violin, cello, and piano by Clarice Assad that celebrates the rebirth of cultural life, of connection, of community.&nbsp;It is&nbsp;a&nbsp;21st-century female response to Beethoven's popular Triple Concerto of 1803. The piece will be designed to work either standing alone or as a companion piece to the Beethoven and will have the same instrumentation:&nbsp;soloists plus one flute, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings,&nbsp;plus potentially one extra musician.<h3>Join the Commissioning Consortium</h3>The commissioning consortium is led by the San José Chamber Orchestra (SJCO)&nbsp;and Maestra Barbara Day Turner; each co-commissioner is asked to contribute $5,000 toward the composer’s fee and copying costs.&nbsp;The SJCO will give the world premiere of the work on Sunday, March 20, 2022. The work is proprietary in performance to co-commissioners and the Delphi Trio for spring 2022 and fall 2023. Please <a href="mailto:matthew@arielartists.com?subject=Delphi%20Trio%E2%80%94Clarice%20Assad%20Commission">email</a> Matthew Kulas to inquire about co-commissioning the Assad Triple Concerto.<figure class="image"><img src="https://d2k153re4i383a.cloudfront.net/Assad_Clarice_Photo_by_Cynthia_Van_Elk_2_1_1024x681_25e62feab3.jpg"></figure><h3>About Clarice Assad</h3>A powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian-American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop, and jazz genres, renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. A prolific Grammy-nominated composer, with over 70 works to her credit, her work has been commissioned by internationally renowned organizations, festivals, and artists, and are published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), Criadores do Brasil (Brazil), and in the US by Virtual Artists Collective Publishing. Ms. Assad has released seven solo albums and appeared on or had her works performed on another 30. Her music is represented on Cedille Records, SONY Masterworks, Nonesuch, Adventure Music, Edge, Telarc, NSS Music, GHA, and CHANDOS. As an innovator, her award-winning Voxploration Series on music education, creation, songwriting, and improvisation has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East. With her talents sought-after by artists and organizations worldwide, the multi-talented musician continues to attract new audiences both onstage and off.<h3>About the Delphi Trio</h3>The <a href="https://www.delphitrio.com">Delphi Trio</a> is recognized for commanding, compelling performances that draw audiences into their musical world. The Trio prioritizes unity, artistry, vulnerability, and musical risk-taking, creating performances that are infused with spontaneity, humor, and joy. Founded on the principles of community, connection, and artistry, Delphi believe firmly in art’s ability to make a difference in the world and are committed to using their musical platform to bring people together, regardless of background or beliefs. Comprised of three strong women, Delphi Trio works to highlight the presentation of works by female composers alongside the classic piano trio repertoire. Violinist Liana Bérubé, cellist Tanya Tomkins, and pianist Allegra Chapman are based in the San Francisco Bay Area.To inquire about joining the commissioning consortium&nbsp;or to learn more about the&nbsp;<a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/delphi-trio/">Delphi Trio</a>, please email Artist Representative, <a href="mailto:matthew@arielartists.com?subject=Delphi%20Trio%E2%80%94Clarice%20Assad%20Commission">Matthew Kulas</a>.

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Worldwide celebration is on the horizon! The Delphi Trio is pleased to invite co-commissioners&nbsp;to join in creating a new triple concerto for violin, cello, and piano by Clarice Assad celebrating the return of cultural life and connection. The piece will be designed to work either standing alone or as a companion piece to the Beethoven&nbsp;Triple Concerto - a 21st century female response to the famous party piece of 1803.&nbsp;Instrumentation will be the same as in the Beethoven (three soloists plus one flute, two oboes, two&nbsp;clarinets, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings) plus one percussionist.Tentatively titled "The Tale of Mélusine", the new work will follow the medieval French legend of a half-fairy woman betrayed by her mortal husband. The Concerto is 23-25 minutes in length and is performed without breaks between movements.The concerto will be premiered in March, 2022 and will be proprietary in&nbsp;performance to Delphi Trio for one year following the premiere; it will be proprietary in recording&nbsp;to Delphi Trio for two years following the premiere. The commissioning consortium is led by the&nbsp;San José Chamber Orchestra and Maestra Barbara Day Turner; each co-commissioner will&nbsp;contribute $5,000 USD toward the composer’s fee and copying costs.&nbsp;About Clarice AssadA powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian-American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop, and jazz genres, renowned for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. A prolific Grammy-nominated composer, with over 70 works to her credit, her work has been commissioned by internationally renowned organizations, festivals, and artists, and are published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), Criadores do Brasil (Brazil), and in the US by Virtual Artists Collective Publishing. Ms. Assad has released seven solo albums and appeared on or had her works performed on another 30. Her music is represented on Cedille Records, SONY Masterworks, Nonesuch, Adventure Music, Edge, Telarc, NSS Music, GHA, and CHANDOS. As an innovator, her award-winning Voxploration Series on music education, creation, songwriting, and improvisation has been presented throughout the United States, Brazil, Europe, and the Middle East. With her talents sought-after by artists and organizations worldwide, the multi-talented musician continues to attract new audiences both onstage and off.

Delphi Trio

Clarice Assad Triple Concerto

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Delphi Trio to Commission Clarice Assad Triple Concerto

Tesla Quartet_2023-24_Biographies.pdf

A passion for education has been a cornerstone of the Tesla Quartet's mission since the group started in 2008. The Tesla Quartet offers a variety of programs for students and community members of all ages that are designed to inspire a love for music and a deeper understanding of the great works in the repertoire.For more information, visit <a href="https://www.teslaquartet.com/education.">https://www.teslaquartet.com/education.</a>&nbsp;

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLThe Tesla Quartet's 40-minute presentation for grades K-5 focuses on an introduction to string instruments and the fundamentals of making music as a group. Depending on the size and age of the audience, our program may include the following topics:<ul><li>An introduction to the instruments: "Show and Tell"</li><li>Music as a type of “language”</li><li>“Let's make a musical sandwich!”</li><li>Music and Color</li></ul>&nbsp;MIDDLE SCHOOLThe Tesla Quartet can work with your school's string students in a number of fashions, including:<ul><li>Coaching a string ensemble</li><li>Giving individual lessons</li><li>Sitting in with the orchestra in rehearsal or in concert</li><li>Performing a string quartet for the class and discussing the history of the music and our mindset as performers</li></ul>&nbsp;HIGH SCHOOLString Ensemble CoachingMore advanced string students can benefit greatly from the Tesla Quartet's guidance on stage or in the classroom. Quartet members can work with string students in:<ul><li>Chamber music coaching</li><li>Orchestra coaching</li><li>Sectional coaching</li><li>How to fit practicing into your busy schedule</li></ul>College Audition PreparationFor students who are seriously considering studying music in college, the Tesla Quartet can facilitate discussions on topics such as:<ul><li>How to choose a school</li><li>How to find a teacher who is the right match</li><li>How to prepare for an audition</li><li>What to expect from a serious musical education</li></ul>School-wide Assembly: Music in ContextThe Tesla Quartet also offers programs that are part performance, part discussion, featuring a complete work for string quartet. Past presentations have featured works by Shostakovich, Janáček, and Kevin Puts, with a focus on the historical, literary, or social context.Year-long ResidencyThe Tesla Quartet can plan three-day visits in the fall and spring semesters where they work with students on pre-selected repertoire, culminating in a performance with the Tesla Quartet joining the student ensemble.

K-12 Programs

CURATION &amp; COLLABORATIONRecital SeriesThe Tesla Quartet will present a specially curated series of concerts over the course of a week, semester, or year, focusing on a specific composer or musical theme. Examples could include:<ul><li>The complete Bartók quartets</li><li>The complete Opus 20 quartets of Joseph Haydn</li><li>Compositional trends in the 21st Century</li><li>"Late Style" in composition</li></ul>Lecture RecitalFor a more intimate and in-depth exploration of a single piece of music, the Tesla Quartet will discuss the history, analysis, and their unique interpretation of a work from its repertoire. The audience will be invited to join in the discussion with questions.Faculty &amp; Student CollaborationWith enough lead time to rehearse, the Tesla Quartet will expand its forces to collaborate with students faculty in&nbsp;larger works of chamber music that could appear on the quartet's full recital.<h2 style="margin-left:0px;">&nbsp;</h2>CHAMBER MUSICMaster ClassesStudent chamber music groups are invited to present a single movement or complete work in public performance and receive feedback from members of the Tesla Quartet. Topics the Tesla Quartet likes to focus on include conveying the character of the music, historical approaches to style, and how to be open and engaged with your partners.Ensemble CoachingFor residencies of more substantial length, members of the Tesla Quartet can provide multiple coachings to chamber music groups that are able to rehearse frequently and incorporate coaching ideas into their development, whether it is over the course of a week or a semester.Discussion on the Art of Ensemble PlayingWhile music students are often taught to focus on the technical aspects of their individual playing, a solid instrumental foundation is not enough to achieve success as an ensemble. The Tesla Quartet will lead a discussion with students and faculty about what it means to play chamber music, how to give and receive criticism, and address ideas such as openness, awareness, and empathy.&nbsp;COMPOSITIONStudent Composition WorkshopsThe Tesla Quartet is committed to fostering the growth of young composers. The quartet can host reading sessions for students' string compositions and provide feedback in areas of technique, balance, notation, and score preparation.Performance &amp; RecordingWith enough lead time, the Tesla Quartet will prepare a selection of student compositions for performance, with the option to produce a live recording of the performance. If the school is equipped with the appropriate space and equipment, the Tesla Quartet can also record selected student works in a studio-like session.&nbsp;ORCHESTRAOrchestra Coaching &amp; Side-By-Side PerformanceMembers of the Tesla Quartet have a wealth of orchestral experience as performers from full size groups like the Cleveland Orchestra to small, self-conducted chamber orchestras like A Far Cry and The Knights. The quartet can provide coaching for string sections and even sit in with the orchestra for rehearsals or performances.Self-Conducted Chamber OrchestraThe Tesla Quartet believes that the principles of chamber music can apply to any ensemble, no matter its size. For a residency of significant length, the quartet can lead a self-conducted chamber orchestra of advanced students, with regular rehearsals leading to a performance.Audition PreparationCompetitions and orchestral auditions can play a big part in the careers of young performers, and there is an art to successfully navigating the rigorous demands of these performances. Through coachings or master classes, the Tesla Quartet can provide feedback on orchestral excerpts and guidance on choosing repertoire,&nbsp;practice routines, and how to manage audition day.&nbsp;CAREERSEntrepreneurship WorkshopsWith such a varied professional landscape ahead of them, many music students wonder how they will carve out their career path after graduation. Whether through round table discussions or workshops, the Tesla Quartet can address topics like grant writing, ensemble management, artistic vision and planning, fundraising, social media and engaging with your community.

<blockquote>“I am impressed with the group’s ability to both play and interact well with students. They used effective questioning, seemed to know what was developmentally appropriate for children in second grade, and reinforced great vocabulary. Oh, and they are amazing musicians as well!”</blockquote>— Dr. Jennifer Griffin, Principal, Oakwood Elementary School, Hickory, NC<blockquote>“I loved witnessing the diversity of experiences of professional classical musicians, looking at different avenues after graduation. Additionally, I have tremendously enjoyed being able to hear such an exceptional quality of music being performed here and being able to interact with the quartet members informally and as part of our academic courses.”</blockquote>— Undergraduate music student, Mount Allison University<blockquote>“Classroom visits have been incredibly useful this term, and the members of the quartet have been so generous with their feedback on student compositions-in-progress. The members of the quartet are able to work with students at their varied, individual levels of ability while at the same time pushing students toward greater musical excellence and creativity. My students have definitely produced stronger work than usual this year due, in large part, to the feedback and inspiration they have received from the quartet.”</blockquote>— Kevin Morse, Professor of Composition, Mount Allison University

Testimonials

Tesla Quartet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Tesla Quartet

string quartet

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“I love these sessions. It's really wonderful to have the opportunity to watch you do this work, and hear your thought processes. I hear and feel the things you're talking about come out in the music, and it's very enlightening (and beautiful).”—Sean<h2>Immerse yourself with the <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/tesla-quartet/">Tesla Quartet</a>&nbsp;as they explore Béla Bartók's six monumental string quartets&nbsp;for the first time.</h2><figure class="image"><a href="https://youtu.be/fWjCPSTjWpw?t=1083" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://d2k153re4i383a.cloudfront.net/Bartok_Livestream_2536fe57b7.png"></a></figure>&nbsp;<h3>Adopt a Bartók Quartet</h3>Join the <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/tesla-quartet/">Tesla Quartet</a> this spring on an extraordinary journey! For any concert presenters seeking virtual programming through June 2021, we offer an exclusive invitation from the Tesla Quartet, who have mapped out a deeply personal&nbsp;journey for audience members to learn the six Bartók Quartets alongside them.&nbsp;We are looking for presenters who would each like to adopt a Bartók Quartet and give their community this exclusive learning experience. After a wonderfully successful installment of the first three&nbsp;Bartók Quartets—sponsored by Friends of Chamber Music&nbsp;Troy and the Grand Valley State University&nbsp;Department of Music—we are looking for presenters who would each like to adopt one of the final three&nbsp;Bartók Quartets&nbsp;and give their community this exclusive learning experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Check out the audience responses below:&nbsp;<hr>“Thank you for inviting your listeners and fans to participate with you. All three of the guest speakers (and your performances, of course) have been wonderful.”&nbsp;—Anonymous"I found the commentaries the most valuable; they illuminated the road Bartók took, and thus the music. Can I comment as well? the playing of the Tesla Quartet is extremely elegant and these quartets were performed beautifully."—Jim"It was exciting to hear a young quartet, relatively speaking, be so enthusiastic about Bartok's quartets. I also learned more about Bartók's life and approach to composing from the guest speakers. The open rehearsals were exciting to see and hear what aspects of the music you go over when actually rehearsing together. Also interesting to hear how musicians try to convey aspects of playing specific music in words."—Sally<hr><h3>&nbsp;</h3><h3>Each Bartók Week</h3>In the Tesla Quartet’s six week Bartók-fest, they are exploring&nbsp;how this music sways their innermost passions, to a depth and at a pace designed to entertain, inform, and engage their listeners. Each week focuses on a single quartet and consist of the following:<ul><li>Day 1 –&nbsp;Live&nbsp;Conversation with an&nbsp;expert:&nbsp;Guests to include:&nbsp;Nicholas Kitchen, first violinist of the Borromeo Quartet; Hungarian violinist Károly Schranz, founding member of the Takács Quartet; and celebrated composer Gabriel Lena Frank.</li><li>Day 2 –&nbsp;Live Open Rehearsal:&nbsp;A behind the scenes look at the Tesla Quartet's rehearsal process.</li><li>Day 3 –&nbsp;Live&nbsp;Performance:&nbsp;The week’s activities will culminate in a live-stream performance of one of the string quartets.</li><li>Audience Participation: Each session will include a Q&amp;A session for the audience to engage with the ensemble and its guests.</li></ul>&nbsp;Dates: May 26-29 – String Quartet No. 4 June 2-5 – String Quartet No. 5 June 9-12 – String Quartet No. 6 &nbsp;<h3>Sponsorships &nbsp;Available!</h3>Each week is sponsored by a performing arts organization from across the United States. For a $5,000 sponsorship, patrons of the sponsoring organizations will receive a subscription for the entire series and will have VIP access to the Q&amp;A sessions and prizes for the sponsored week.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>"I've never really enjoyed Bartók. Though I have more recordings of B's quartets than any other, so I guess I have been looking for a way in. The talks with Bartók experts have REALLY helped."—Gary "Sooo good!! I don't know why such dissonance brings me so much joy lol. That last movement is incredible and really ties it all together. Much love Tesla Quartet!"—Doug "This is a wonderful performance, it has it all: lyricism, dance rhythms, unabashed enjoyment of the dissonances, thank you so much. I plan to listen to it often."—Sonia<hr>&nbsp;To inquire about sponsorship or to learn more about the <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/tesla-quartet/">Tesla Quartet</a>, please email Artist Representative, <a href="mailto:matthew@arielartists.com?subject=Tesla%20Quartet%20Bartok%20Inquiry">Matthew Kulas</a>.

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Tesla Quartet: A Bartók Journey

Akropolis Reed Quintet_ 2023-24_Biographies.pdf

Winner of the 2015 Fischoff Educator Award, Akropolis has engaged more than 40,000 youth during its 13-year history, including an annual, yearlong residency at three high schools in their home Detroit community. As an independent nonprofit they have received grants from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and many individuals nationwide to support their educational programming, which comprises a noteworthy portion of their activity.&nbsp;Akropolis delivers fast-paced and informative workshops, including its “The Best Story” presentation for elementary schools, featuring a musical reenactment of the Eileen Spinelli children’s book. At the middle and high school level, Akropolis gives performances, coachings, Q&amp;A's, and offers a side-by-side band concerto by Peter Terry.&nbsp;“I am in awe of your genius in this educational arena and excited for all the young lives that you will impact and change because you are first and foremost extraordinary artists who are bringing that excellence and meticulous preparation and execution to the educational arena.”-Kathy Soroka, Allegheny RiverStone Center for Arts Education

K-12 Education

Akropolis believes that "quality" in classical music comes not only from the technical competency of the performers, but of the relevance an artist creates within their community. To do this, Akropolis engages their communities nationwide through experiences informed by the communities they serve. This includes collaborating with community members on new musical works, including&nbsp;so much more, featuring interviews with local business owners, and&nbsp;Sprocket, featuring a rideable percussion bike created by scrap metal artist, Juan Martinez. They commissioned new work from Detroit poet Marsha Music, and in their travels have performed with guest percussionists in several communities.&nbsp;Akropolis has performed at dozens of workplaces during its Detroit Workplace Concert Series, including hospitals, factories, tech companies, and more. They have performed in juvenile&nbsp;detention centers, homeless shelters, development centers, and senior care centers. They have given dozens of outdoor performances at parks and other pop-up locations, including grocery stores and farmers markets. They have given house concerts, backyard concerts, and concerts on river walks and bike paths.&nbsp; &nbsp;Each concert is custom-designed with community input and shaped to reflect the vibrancy of the community.&nbsp;

Based on Akropolis' 8 year of experience teaching and entrepreneurship and career development, including courses at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre, and Dance and the Michigan State University College of Music, Akropolis created&nbsp;<a href="https://akropolisquintet.org/mastermind/">Akropolis Mastermind</a>&nbsp;in 2019 and since then have engaged 22 early career artists and over 80 participants&nbsp;in this weeklong career development workshop.&nbsp;Please visit&nbsp;<a href="http://akropolisquintet.org/mastermind">akropolisquintet.org/mastermind</a>&nbsp;to read the testimonials from these participants' experiences.&nbsp;At the university level, Akropolis provides customized workshops derived from their Mastermind, including sessions on health and sustainability, marketing/branding, financial planning, project development, and more.&nbsp;Akropolis also delivers inspiring master classes, reads and premieres works by student composers, and has even collaborated with college students in performance.&nbsp;

Akropolis Mastermind (University)

Akropolis Reed Quintet—Photos for Public Download.zip

Akropolis Reed Quintet

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<h3>Ghost Light (def.)&nbsp;</h3>"a small, single bulbed light, usually a floor lamp of some sort, that shines on the dark stage throughout the night when the theater is closed and unoccupied."—Onstageblog.com<hr>&nbsp;The <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/akropolis-reed-quintet/">Akropolis Reed Quintet</a>'s 4th album,&nbsp;<a href="https://arielartists.com/interdisciplinary-projects/ghost-light/">Ghost Light</a>, released on April 9, 2021 and already hailed by&nbsp;The Wire (U.K.) as "audibly driven by real excitement and a sense of adventure," is now available as a touring program specifically designed to aid presenters in creatively reopening their venues to live audiences with an intentional sense of community. The event will be staged by the Akropolis with intimate lighting and include a ghost light from the presenting venue, or another in the community.<figure class="image"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0WsLf8_hGU" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://d2k153re4i383a.cloudfront.net/Akropolis_Ghost_Light_Playing_1_f896b18e70.jpg"></a></figure>&nbsp;<a href="https://arielartists.com/interdisciplinary-projects/ghost-light/">Ghost Light</a>&nbsp;is a meditation on life, death, and rebirth&nbsp;"performed with faultless detail and refreshing artistry" (I Care if You Listen).&nbsp;It&nbsp;shines a light on the ghosts all around us and grapples with the issues of mortality and our personal and collective history. The concert program includes selections from the&nbsp;<a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/akropolis-reed-quintet/">Akropolis Reed Quintet</a>'s&nbsp;fourth album,&nbsp;<a href="https://akropolisquintet.org/ghostlight/">Ghost Light</a>&nbsp;on New Focus Recordings, including 2018 Pulitzer Prize finalist, Michael Gilbertson, and 2019 Academy of Arts and Letters Award recipient, Stacy Garrop. A masterwork by Jeff Scott telling the history of three razed Black Detroit neighborhoods is accompanied by new poetry written by Detroit historian and author, Marsha Music.&nbsp;<h3>Pure Gold</h3>Celebrating their 12th year and hailed by Fanfare Magazine for their “imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality,” the <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/akropolis-reed-quintet/">Akropolis Reed Quintet</a> was founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan and has won seven national chamber music prizes including the Fischoff Gold Medal and Fischoff Educator Award. The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed the Akropolis’s third album release,&nbsp;The&nbsp;Space Between Us, “pure gold.”&nbsp;To inquire about <a href="https://arielartists.com/interdisciplinary-projects/ghost-light/">Ghost Light</a> or to learn more about the <a href="https://arielartists.com/artists/akropolis-reed-quintet/">Akropolis Reed Quintet</a>, please email Artist Representative, <a href="mailto:matthew@arielartists.com?subject=Akropolis%20Reed%20Quintet%20Inquiry">Matthew Kulas</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

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Akropolis_Door_2020 (Credit—Kari Landry).jpg

Akropolis Reed Quintet: Ghost Light

Ariel Artists

<h2>MISSION STATEMENT</h2><h3>We are here because we truly believe that the experience of music offers the “spirits to enforce” and the “art to enchant.”</h3><h3>We aspire to connect the world through that strength of vision and joyous shared exploration.</h3>Founded in 2009 by pianist and poet Oni Buchanan, Ariel Artists is a management company shaped by and designed for the evolving landscape of classical/contemporary music in the 21st century.