PUTNEY, VT – Next Stage Arts presents Boston-based Rasa String Quartet at Next Stage on Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm.

“This concert is a continuation of sonic exploration.” says Keith Marks, Executive Director 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:

Program:

• Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor, II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
• Jessie Montgomery: Strum
• Caroline Shaw: Valencia
• Joaquín Turina: The Bullfighter’s Prayer
• L.V. Beethoven: String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat Major, Op. 74 “Harp”

Rasa String Quartet

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 (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. 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 rasastringquartet.com

Event Details

Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $20 Advance / $25 At the Door / $10 Livestream. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar. For information, call 802-387-0102 or visit nextstagearts.org.

Next Stage Arts

Next Stage Arts serves southeastern Vermont as a regional cultural hub, arts producer, and instigator of meaningful cultural experiences. Founded in 2010 as a nonprofit organization, Next Stage Arts is a transformative, community-centered project dedicated to revitalizing Putney’s cultural and economic village center through excellence in arts programming valuing diversity as a springboard for nurturing community.

For more information and updates please go to: nextstagearts.org