Friday, May 2, 2025
7:30 pm
The Rasa String Quartet
$25
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The Program:
"Nature’s Counterpoint: Changing Perspectives"
Program Description:
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.
Program Setlist:
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
About the Rasa Quartet:
Rasa String Quartet explores the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another.
Formed in 2019, the Boston-based ensemble consists of violinists Emma Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violist Kiyoshi Hayashi, 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, Irish Fiddler, Liz Carroll, 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, Celebrity Series, 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 Boston Music Project.
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.
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