2024-2025 Program Offerings
A Popular Tune
Immerse yourself in a whimsical blend of folk dances, classical treasures, and rock anthems in A Popular Tune! This program fuses the timeless with the contemporary, featuring reimagined favorites like Stand By Me, Scandinavian folk traditionals, and classical interpretations of popular tunes. From Mumford and Sons to Henry Purcell, this show offers a fun and fresh way to experience the string quartet, where every tune is a hit!
Repertoire:
The Fretless: Hidden View
Danish String Quartet: Old Reinlender From Sonndala
Henry Purcell: Fantasia in D minor Z. 739
Pink Floyd: Shine on You Crazy Diamond
Jungyoon Wie: A Popular Tune
Ben King: Stand By Me, Arr. Zach Reaves
Erik Satie: A New Satiesfaction (Gymnopédie No.1), Arr. Stephan Koncz
Giovanni Sollima: Sonnets et Rondeaux
Donogh Hennessy: Inion Ni Scannlain / J.S. Bach: Minuet II, Arr. Maura Shawn Scanlin
Danish String Quartet: Sekstur from Vendsyssel - The Peat Dance
Mumford and Sons: Little Lion Man, Arr. Jesse MacDonald
Total Time: 54 min of music
Journey and Transformation
Journey & Transformation is a program that evokes longing and nostalgia for distant places and cherished memories. From William Grant Still’s tender mermaid fairytale, to composers' reflections on faraway homelands, and the lively melodies of a Haydn quartet, this concert invites you to reconnect with the beloved stories that shaped your past.
Repertoire:
William Grant Still: Prince and the Mermaid Suite
Traditional Korean Lullaby, Arr. Mina Kim
Graham Cohen: String Quartet No. 3 “Cape Breton Set”
Donnacha Dennehy: Pushpulling
Christine Hedden: Cuimhne
Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 64 in D Major, Op 76, No 5
Total Time: 55 min of music
Redefining Home, Featuring Brian Shankar Adler
Multidisciplinary percussionist Brian Shankar Adler and the Rasa String Quartet present: Redefining Home, a concert that celebrates each artists’ musical roots. Spanning from evocative Indian ragas and mysterious Argentine tangos to spirited Celtic fiddle tunes, this collaboration evokes the feelings of home and comfort inherent in our earliest musical memories, while also exploring the rhythmic connection across a wide array of genres. The program culminates in the world premiere of a new work for string quartet and percussion by Brian Shankar Adler, inspired by this unique collaboration.
Repertoire:
Seiche, Arr. Brian Shankar Adler
Maura Shawn Scanlin: The Squall
James Scott Skinner: Bovaglie’s Plaid
Maura Shawn Scanlin: Time Check
Brian Shankar Adler: Young Blood
Kala Ramnath: Amrit, Arr. Reena Esmail
Brian Shankar Adler: A Memory of Fire (Rudram)
Astor Piazzolla: Oblivion
Astor Piazzolla: Spring (Primavera Porteña)
Brian Shankar Adler: Echoes of the Gomero
Astor Piazzolla: La Muerte del Ángel
Total Time: 53 min of music
Nature’s Counterpoint: Changing Perspectives
Join Rasa String Quartet for an unforgettable journey through the intricate beauty of fugue and the wonders of nature. Featuring works by Caroline Shaw, Aleksandra Vrebalov, The Fretless, Bach, and Beethoven, we reveal how small, delicate elements—like a Bird’s Nest, a Beech Tree, or the interwoven voices of a fugue—unite to create something extraordinary. Discover how music and nature mirror each other, weaving together into breathtaking masterpieces that celebrate the complexity, harmony, and unity of our world.
Repertoire:
The Fretless: Bird’s Nest
J.S. Bach: The Art of Fugue – Contrapunctus 1
J.S. Skinner: Bovaglie's Plaid
Alexandra Vrebalov: Pannonia Boundless
Caroline Shaw: Plan & Elevation, V. The Beech Tree
The Fretless: Alphonso McKenzie’s/Salkantay
L.V. Beethoven: String Quartet Op. 59 No. 3
Total Time: 54 min of music