Each piece on today’s program offers a new perspective on the string quartet. We begin with The Danish String Quartet’s unique arrangements, which bring together the worlds of classical music and folk fiddling to create something both old and very new.

“Dig The Say”, Vijay Iyer’s propulsive homage to James Brown, channels the relentless funk groove of the Godfather of Soul, who did his most important work at King Records, right here in Cincinnati. Iyer’s remarkable work transforms the string quartet into “the hardest working band in show business” and you’ve never heard anything like it, we promise.

At the program’s center is Maurice Ravel’s Quartet in F, written when the composer was only 28. Now viewed as a masterpiece, the work initially was not well received - he dedicated the work to his teacher, Gabriel Faure, who called it a failure, and the piece actually got Ravel thrown out of the Paris Conservatory (for the second time). Like the quartet of his mentor, Claude Debussy, written just a few years earlier, Ravel’s quartet creates a world of color and sound that had not yet been explored in a string quartet, and creates a new - and beautiful - perspective.

Come join us for this program of new perspectives on the string quartet, and we promise you’ll leave with a new one yourself!

About The Cincinnati String Project:

Playing chamber music requires players to lead, follow, and persevere, all skills essential to success in school, relationships, and work. The Cincinnati String Project provides students with collaborative experiences that help them build these valuable skills.

Each week, our 50 students receive private lessons on violin, viola, cello, and bass and play in small ensembles. They also perform regularly as individuals, alongside their teachers, and in their chamber groups.

The Cincinnati String Project is a tuition-free program based at Norwood and Winton Woods High Schools. We are grateful for the continued support from partners, including Artswave, the Louise Dieterle Nippert Musical Arts Fund, Matinee Musicale, PNC Charitable Trusts, 5/3 Bank, U.S. Bank, and more than 150 individual donors.

The generous support of these partners and people like you has allowed us to continue our program for nearly a decade, serving hundreds of students and performing across Cincinnati.

"New Perspectives" CSP Quartet @ New City - Saturday, March 22

Join us for a program of featuring Ravel and a tribute to James Brown!