Exploring the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another

rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

Rasa String Quartet 2024. All rights reserved.

About

Rasa String Quartet finds their niche exploring the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another.Formed in 2019, the Boston-based ensemble consists of violinists Maura Shawn Scanlin and Kiyoshi Hayashi, violist Emma Powell, and cellist Mina Kim, who are graduates of the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music, and Yale University.Rasa String Quartet are winners of the 2022 Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition (Italy,) the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition (ATL,) the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition (OH,) and were the 2022-23 ensemble in residence at Phillips Exeter Academy.They’ve collaborated with renowned folk musicians like celtic harpist, Maeve Gilchrist, jazz / traditional greek vocalist, Erini Tornesaki, and singer-songwriter, Judy Collins, performed their own programs at various venues and festivals around the country, including the 2023 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Rockport Music, WGBH, WBUR, and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, and have taught educational residencies at a variety of institutions like Walnut Hill School for the Arts, UMass Dartmouth, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.By exploring the connection between music and storytelling at the heart of folk traditions, Rasa String Quartet delivers engaging and accessible programs that showcase works from a variety of cultures and highlight unknown composers. They seek to educate their audiences by contextualizing the genres, styles, and composers they present, inviting their listeners to approach both familiar and unfamiliar sounds with an open and curious mind.In sanskrit, the term ‘RASA’ refers to the indescribable power of any art form to inspire strong emotions in the reader or listener.

Meet the Quartet!

Born in Boone NC, Maura Shawn Scanlin currently makes her home in Boston, MA. In May 2019, she completed her Masters Degree in Violin Performance at the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Ani Kavafian. Previously, Maura studied violin with Lucy Chapman while completing her Bachelors Degree at the New England Conservatory. Maura’s classical collaborations with various ensembles have led her to the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition, and the Banff Chamber Music Residency. Maura has studied with renowned chamber musicians such as the Borromeo String Quartet, the Brentano String Quartet, Kim Kashkashian, and Roger Tapping.In addition to classical music, Maura also enjoys performing and collaborating with other musicians in a variety of non-classical styles ranging from traditional folk to contemporary improvisatory music. Particularly well-versed in Scottish and Irish traditional fiddle music, Maura has had the opportunity to compete in and has won the world’s premiere traditional Scottish fiddling competitions. She is a two-time U.S. National Scottish Fiddling Champion, and a winner of the Glenfiddich Fiddle Championship in Perthshire, Scotland. Maura is a member of several bands based in the greater Boston area. She performs and tours regularly with five-piece contemporary folk band Pumpkin Bread and Irish duo project Rakish. She is also a member of the contemporary Scottish outfit the Bywater Band.Maura has performed across North America and the United Kingdom, appearing at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, Blair Castle, Shalin-Liu Performance Center, and The Sinclair. She has performed at music festivals including Merlefest, KVMR Celtic Festival, Boston Celtic Music Festival, Bellingham Irish Festival, New Hampshire Highland Games, Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, Rockport Celtic Festival, and Folk Alliance International. Her duo Rakish was recently named a recipient of the 2019 Iguana Fund Grant.When not performing and collaborating, Maura enjoys teaching music as well. She has been on faculty at the Jink & Diddle School of Scottish Fiddling, the Heartbeat Music Project, Up With Music’s Summer Strings, and Hanneke Cassel’s Pure Dead Brilliant Fiddle Weekend. She teaches privately throughout the year and holds a teaching faculty position at the Brookline Music School. Through collaborations, performances, and teaching, Maura hopes to cultivate appreciation for live acoustic music of all styles.Maura plays a German violin made by Erst Heinrich Roth in 1923.

Originally from Ann Arbor, MI, violinist/violist Emma Kondo Powell is an active performer and educator based in the New England area. She currently serves as resident musician and private instructor at the Newport String Project, a chamber music performance and youth mentorship initiative based at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Community Center in Newport, RI.A dedicated chamber musician and collaborator, Emma performs regularly with several ensembles throughout the area including the Newport String Quartet, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Palaver Strings, and the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. Previously, she was also a core member of Kinetic, an artist led & curated ensemble in Houston, TX. As a soloist, Emma has performed with the Michigan Pops Orchestra, Princeton University Orchestra, and Birmingham-Bloomfield Symphony. Her summer festival appearances include the Tanglewood Music Center, Spoleto Festival USA, Maine Chamber Music Seminar, and Roundtop Festival Institute.In 2017, Emma graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a BA in Music Theory/Musicology and a certificate in Violin Performance, and was awarded the Isidore and Helen Sacks Memorial Prize for extraordinary achievement in the arts. She also holds a Masters in Violin Performance from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, where she studied with Paul Kantor. Previous mentors also include Sunghae Anna Lim and Almita & Roland Vamos.

Kiyoshi Hayashi is the founder and violinist / violist of the award-winning Rasa String Quartet, Co-Artistic Director of the string ensemble and nonprofit organization, Palaver Strings, and regularly performs with many renowned ensembles around New England including Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Phoenix Orchestra, and A Far Cry.He has collaborated with prominent artists from varying genres of music such as vocal ensemble - Roomful of Teeth, syrian clarinetist - Kinan Azmeh, celtic harpist - Maeve Gilchrist, and rock legends - The Who and The Eagles, among many more.Kiyoshi has won top prizes in various international and national competitions including the Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition in Italy (2022,) the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition (2021,) the Chamber Music Yellow Springs National Competition (2020,) the St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award (2021,) and the Philharmonic Society of Arlington’s Peter E. Tannenwald Concerto Competition (2017.)He has performed in notable concert halls around the world including Symphony Center in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston, TD Garden and Fenway Park in Boston, Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport Massachusetts, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo Japan. Additionally, he has performed at numerous music festivals such as the Pacific Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, Bay Chamber Concerts in Rockport, ME, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Chautauqua Music Festival, and the Heifetz International Music Institute.Kiyoshi’s principal teachers include Nicholas Kitchen, Almita and Roland Vamos, and Thomas Wermuth, and he received his B.M. from the New England Conservatory of Music in 2016.Since graduating, he has become committed to using music as a means to foster community, to heal and uplift people’s lives, and to inspire social change. He has served as Director of Community Engagement for Palaver Strings, regularly performs with community arts organizations such as Shelter Music Boston, and worked as a teaching artist for Phillips Exeter Academy, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, and the Roxbury Youth Orchestra.Aside from music, Kiyoshi is very passionate about wellness and personal development. He is a certified personal trainer and integrative nutrition health coach, has given workshops at institutions like the New England Conservatory of Music, the Longy School of Music, and Vital Village Network, and is the founder of his personal health and life coaching business, Train From Within.When he isn’t playing music or coaching, Kiyoshi can be found going on a morning run, playing soccer or tennis, practicing yoga, listening to a podcast, or exploring the outdoors.

Hailed as “eloquent” by the Boston Globe, Korean-born cellist Mina Kim has been making music in the Boston area since 2010. Mina has appeared as a featured musician on WQXR’s McGraw Hill Young Artist Showcase and Longy’s Septemberfest concert series. As a member of the Rasa String Quartet, Mina has competed in the semi-final round at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and in the International Osaka Chamber Music Competition in 2023. With the ensemble, she also held a residency as the Gilbert Concert Artist at the Phillips Exeter Academy.As a passionate educator, Mina has been teaching at the Phillips Exeter since 2019 and given masterclasses at UMass Dartmouth and Phillips Exeter Academy. She also coached chamber music to college and graduate students as Marty Jeivens Fellow at the Maine Chamber Music Seminar in 2023.When she's not playing classical music, Mina jams and concertizes with her genre-straddling string ensemble, ROSIN. By borrowing a little bit from a lot of different kinds of music, they have created what they like to call "disreputable classical music." Mina's fellow ROSIN mates are bassist Zachariah Hickman, violist Annie Bartlett, and fiddler-composer Jake Armerding. Together, ROSIN has advanced to the final round of the 21CM Emerging Artist Competition at Depauw School of Music.In 2023, Mina earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at New England Conservatory as the Gregor Piatigorsky Fund recipient, studying with Yeesun Kim and Mike Block. She holds a Master of Music degree from New England Conservatory as well as both a Bachelor of Music from Emerson College and an Undergraduate Diploma from Longy School of Music of Bard College, studying with Terry King.

rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

season 5 events

Performance at Newbridge on the Charles, Dedham, MA - East meets West

Thursday, March 28
7:30 pm
5000 Great Meadow Rd, Dedham, MA 02026
Private Event

Education Event: Celebrity Series School Masterclass

Thursday, April 4
8:00 am
Josiah Quincy Elementary School
Private Event

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Beyonce

Thursday, April 4
7:00 pm
11 Garden Street, Cambridge, 02138-3605

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Pink Floyd

Thursday, April 4
9:00 pm
11 Garden Street, Cambridge, 02138-3605

Performance at Brattleboro Music Center - East meets West

Friday, April 5
7:00 pm
72 Blanche Moyse Wy, Brattleboro, VT 05301

Performance at Celebrity Series - East Meets West

Saturday, April 6
1:00 pm
Arlington Street Church - 351 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Performance at Norway Pond, Hancock, NH - East Meets West

Sunday, April 7
4:00 pm
First Congregational Church of Hancock - 47 Main Street, Hancock, NH, 03449

Masterclass and Performance at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Wednesday, April 10
5:00 pm
Private Event

Performance at Brookhaven, Lexington, MA - Rasa String Quartet's Greatest Hits

Thursday, April 11
7:30 pm
Private Event

Groupmuse in Jamaica Plain, MA - Rasa String Quartet's Greatest Hits

Saturday, April 13
6:30 pm Doors, 7:00 pm Show

Performance at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA

Saturday, April 13
9:30 pm
Private Event

Performance at Nantucket Arts Council - Rasa String Quartet's Greatest Hits

Sunday, April 14
4:00 pm

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Whitney Houston

Thursday, April 18
2 shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Greater Boston Stage - 395 Main Street, Stoneham, 02180-3514

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Taylor Swift

Friday, April 19
2 shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Greater Boston Stage - 395 Main Street, Stoneham, 02180-3514

Performance at Piper Shores, Freeport, ME

Saturday, May 4
1:00 pm

Performance at The Hill Arts, Portland, ME

Saturday, May 4
7:00 pm

Performance at Martha's Vineyard Chamber Music Society, West Tisbury, MA

Sunday, May 5
4:00 pm

Performance at Bay Chamber Concerts, Rockport, ME

Wednesday, May 8
1:00 pm

Performance at Saugus Public Library, Saugus, MA

Saturday, May 11
2:00 pm

Performance at The Center for Arts, Natick, MA

Sunday, May 12
3:00 pm

Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival - Christopher Rex String Seminar, Fernandina Beach, FL

Monday, May 27
8:00 am

Past Performances season 5

Candlelight Concert: Tribute to Queen

Thursday, March 14
2 Shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom - 1187 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446

Candlelight Concert: Favorite Anime Themes

Wednesday, February 28
8:45 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom - 1187 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446

Candlelight Concert: Rock Classics on Strings

Wednesday, February 28
6:30 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom - 1187 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446

Candlelight Concert: Vivaldi Four Season and More

Saturday, February 24
2 Shows at 6:30 pm and 8:45 pm
First Church, Cambridge - 11 Garden St, Cambridge, MA 02138

Performance at Mayo St. Arts - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Sunday, February 4
7:00 pm
10 Mayo St, Portland, ME 04101

Performance at Bethel Area Arts and Music - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Sunday, February 4
2:00 pm
48 Cross Street, Bethel, ME 04217

Performance and Pre-Concert Lecture at Rockport Music - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Saturday, February 3
Pre-Concert Lecture - 6:00 pm
Performance - 7:00 pm
Rockport Music - 37 Main St, Rockport, MA 01966

Performance at Old Ship Church - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Friday, February 2
7:30 pm
14 Main Street, Hingham, MA 02043
Free and Open to the Public

Performance at Boston Athenaeum - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Thursday, February 1
6:00 pm
10-1/2 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108

Performance at Taylor Community Concerts, Laconia - Jazz Meets Counterpoint

Monday, January 29
6:30 pm
227 Ledges Drive, Laconia, NH 03246
Free and Open to the Public

Performance at South Shore Conservatory, Hingham, MA - Classic Rock on Strings

Saturday, January 27
7:00 pm
Cox Hall, South Shore Conservatory Hingham Campus
1 Conservatory Drive, Hingham, MA

CANDLELIGHT CONCERT: BEST OF HANS ZIMMER

Saturday, December 30
9:00 pm
First Church, Cambridge

Candlelight Concert: Favorite Anime Themes

Saturday, December 30
7:00 pm
First Church, Cambridge

Performance at One Longfellow Square - Strum

Sunday, December 10
6:00 pm
181 State St, Portland, ME 04101

Performance at Piper Shores, Freeport, ME - Strum

Sunday, December 10
2:00 pm
15 Piper Rd, Scarborough, ME 04074
Private Event

Performance at Next Stage Arts, Putney VT - Strum

Saturday, December 9
7:30 pm

Performance at Ventress Memorial Library, Marshfield, MA - Strum

Saturday, December 9
12:00 pm
15 Library Plaza, Marshfield, MA 02050
FREE and open to the Public!

Groupmuse in Jamaica Plain - Strum

Friday, December 8
75 Dunster Road, Jamaica Plain, MA, 02130
6:30 pm Doors, 7:00 pm Show

Performance at Taylor Community Concerts - Strum

Wednesday, December 6
7:00 pm
83 Rolling Wood Drive, Wolfeboro NH 03894
Private Event

Performance at Lasell Village - Strum

Tuesday, December 5
7:30 pm
120 Seminary Ave, Auburndale, MA 02466
Private Event

Candlelight Concert: A Tribute to Pink Floyd

Thursday, November 30
8:45 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom

Candlelight Concert: Vivaldi's Four Seasons and More

Thursday, November 30
6:45 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom

Candlelight Concert: A Tribute to Taylor Swift

Friday, November 17
9:00 pm
First Church, Cambridge

Candlelight Concert: Favorite Anime Themes

Friday, November 17
7:00 pm
First Church, Cambridge

CANDLELIGHT CONCERT: BEST OF HANS ZIMMER

Thursday, November 16
2 Shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom

Performance at Newbridge on the Charles - From Warner Brothers to Beethoven

Tuesday, October 31
7:30 pm
5000 Great Meadow Rd, Dedham, MA 02026
Private Event

Performance at Portsmouth Athenaeum - Sunrise

Sunday, October 8
3:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, 101 Chapel St, Portsmouth, NH 03801

education residency at rockport music

October 5 - 6
Rockport, MA

candlelight concerts: 100 years of warner bros

Saturday, September 29
2 Shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Old South Church in Boston, 645 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116, USA

candlelight concerts: best of hans zimmer

Friday, September 28
2 Shows at 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm
Temple Ohabei Shalom, 1187 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446

Performance at Lincoln Labs - Sunrise

Monday, September 25
12:00 pm
Private Event

Performance at Kendal at Hanover - Sunrise

Saturday, September 23
7:15 pm
Kendal at Hanover, 67 Cummings Rd, Hanover, NH 03755
Private Event

Performance at Brookhaven - Sunrise

Thursday, September 21
7:30 pm
Brookhaven at Lexington, 1010 Waltham St, Lexington, MA 02421
Private Event

past performances season 4

Residency at Avaloch Farm music institute, Boscawen, NH

August 28 - September 4, 2023

Judy Collins performing Wildflowers with Rasa String Quartet

Sat, July 1st
Academy of Music, Northampton, MA

Highlands - Cashiers Chamber Music Festival - Music and Wine from Around the World

Tuesday, June 27
3:00 pm
Highlands Wine Shop - 269 Oak St, Highlands, NC 28741

Highlands - Cashiers Chamber Music Festival - Painting with music

Sunday, June 25
5:30 pm
Ann Lea Fine Arts Gallery - 976 Hwy. 64 East Cashiers, NC 28717

Osaka International Chamber music competition, osaka, Japan

May 12 - May 18
Osaka, Japan

Martha's Vineyard Chamber music society, martha's vineyard, ma

Saturday, May 6
4:00 pm
First Congregational Church of West Tisbury - 1051 State Rd, West Tisbury, MA 02575

Mayo Street Arts, Portland, ME

Thursday, May 4
7:00 pm
Mayo Street Arts - 10 Mayo St, Portland, ME 04101

Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter NH

Tuesday, April 18
7:00 pm
Phillips Exeter Academy, Forrestal-Bowld Music Center - 20 Main St, Exeter, NH 03833
Free and Open to the Public - First Come First Serve

The Drake, Amherst, MA

Sunday, April 16
5:00 pm
44 N Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01002

The Center for Arts, Natick, MA

Sunday, April 16
12:00 pm
14 Summer St, Natick, MA 01760

CMCB Kleshinski concert series, Boston, MA

Thursday, April 13
7:00 pm
CMCB Allan Hall - 34 Warren Ave, Boston, MA 02116

WBUR, Boston, MA

Sunday, March 12
2:00 pm
WBUR CitySpace - 890 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215

One Longfellow Square, Portland, ME

Sunday, February 26
7:00 pm
One Longfellow Square - 181 State St, Portland, ME 04101

UMass Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA

Thursday, February 23
12:30 pm
285 Old Westport Rd, North Dartmouth, MA 02747

Maeve Gilchrist featuring Kyle Sanna & Rasa String Quartet Presented by Groton Hill Music Center, Groton, MA

Friday, February 10
8:00 pm
Groton Hill Music Center - 122 Old Ayer Rd, Groton, MA 01450

GBH Music Presents the Rasa Quartet and Boston Baroque’s X-tet – Celtic Meets Classical, Boston, MA

Tuesday, February 7
7:30 pm
WGBH Fraser Performance Studio - 1 Guest St, Boston, MA 02135

Bay Chamber Concerts, Rockport, ME

Wednesday, January 11
1:00 pm
Union Hall - 24 Central St, Rockport, ME 04856

Groupmuse @ Moto spirits Distillery, brooklyn Nyc

Thursday, September 15
7:00 pm

past performances season 3

sounds across america at rockport music

Tuesday, November 9th
7:00 pm
Shalin Liu Performance Center - 37 Main St, Rockport, MA 01966

Highfield Hall and Gardens

Friday, April 22
7:00 pm
Highfield Hall and Gardens - 56 Highfield Dr, Falmouth, MA 02540

arlington international film festival

Thursday, April 21
7:30 pm
The Roasted Granola Café - 1346 Massachusetts Ave, Arlington, MA 02476

WATERMELON WEDNESDAYS WITH MAEVE GILCHRIST and kyle sanna

Wednesday, September 1st
West Whately Chapel, West Whately, MA
7:30 pm

ROCKPORT CELTIC FESTIVAL - STRINGS ON STRINGS

Saturday, August 21st
Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA
8:00 pm

rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

listen

folk

Maura Shawn Scanlin: Leaving Harvey Street

Traditional: Willie Coleman’s/Paddy Fahy’s
(Arr. Ledah Finck)

Donogh Hennessy - Inion Ni Scannlain / Bach - Minuet II (Arr Maura Shawn Scanlin)

Johannes Rusten: O Frederik, O Frederik,
Arr. Danish String Quartet

Danish String Quartet: Sekstur from Vendsyssel - The Peat Dance

Stuart Duncan, Chris Thile, Edgar Meyer: Attaboy, Arr. Eunghee Cho

Danish Traditional, Arr. Danish String Quartet: Æ Rømeser

Danish String Quartet: Shine You No More

Classical

Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major

Joseph Haydn: String Quartet Op 76 No. 2

William Grant Still: Lyric Quartet

Shelley Washington: Middleground

Jessie Montgomery: Strum

Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet in F minor, Opus 80

full concerts

Shalin Liu Performance Center November 2021

Shalin Liu Performance Center April 2021

collaborations

With Celtic Harpist, Maeve Gilchrist, Performing Her Original Compositions

With Boston Baroques' X-TET, Performing
Boccherini Fandango

With Boston Baroques' X-TET, Performing Colin Jacobsen's A Short While To Be Here

With Indian Kuchipudi Dancer, Yamini Kalluri,
Performing George Walker's “Molto Adagio”

rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

HIRE US!!

Interested in hiring Rasa String Quartet??

We have performed for prestigious chamber music festivals, nonprofit fundraising events, weddings, homeless shelters, assisted living facilities, healthcare providers, corporate parties, holiday events, birthday parties, funerals, and for new music recording sessions.We have also done some out of box gigs like anniversary presents, Mothers' Day presents, engagement proposals, and more!If you want music for your event of any kind, we can likely do it!!We can perform classical, folk, fiddle, world, and pop music.If you would like us to play a pre-recorded or live-streamed event, we work with professional audio and video engineers to ensure elite technical quality.

Fill Out the Form Below to Receive a Quote for Your Event!!

rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

RASA ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT

Full Bio
Short Bio
Marketing Links (social media, etc)
Pictures
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rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

connect

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rasastringquartet@gmail.com

Permanent site photographs by Steven Manwaring, Dan Jentzen, and Matthew Muise

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