PUTNEY, Vt. – Next Stage Arts presents Boston-based Rasa String Quartet at Next Stage on Saturday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
“This concert is a continuation of sonic exploration,” says Keith Marks, executive director of Next Stage Arts. “Rasa is an incredible example of virtuosic music that takes a medium and turns it on its head. They’re masters of their craft, exploring the space between chamber music and blending folk and other traditions into something unique.”
The Rasa String Quartet celebrates the art of strumming and works inspired by strummed instruments, for string quartet. This program pairs old masterworks from Beethoven, Debussy, and Turina alongside newly celebrated classics from Jessie Montgomery and Caroline Shaw.
The program will be “String Quartet in G Minor, II. Assez vif et bien rythmé,” by Claude Debussy; “Strum,” by Jessie Montgomery; “Valencia,” by Caroline Shaw; “The Bullfighter’s Prayer,” by Joaquín Turina; and “String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 ‘Harp’,” by Ludwig van Beethoven.
The Boston-based Rasa String Quartet finds their niche exploring the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another.
They are winners of the 2022 Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition in Italy, the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition in Atlanta, the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition in Ohio, and were the 2022-2023 ensemble in residence at Phillips Exeter Academy. The quartet can be found collaborating with the preeminent folk musicians of today, performing their own programs in venues and festivals around the country, and participating in artistic and educational residencies at a variety of institutions.
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.
Find out more at www.rasastringquartet.com.
Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, Vt. Tickets are discounted in advance at www.nextstagearts.org. There is also a livestream option. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. For more information, call 802-387-0102 or visit the website above.