There is indeed a new string quartet in town, one that is aiming to perform great classical music in a non-traditional space. That quartet is Mousai Remix, and it’s made up of four players from the Oregon Symphony (Shin-young Kwon and Emily Cole, violins; Jennifer Arnold, viola; and Marilyn de Oliveira). If you don’t think that they’ve got some serious attitude and intensity to bring to their music making, then just take a look at their photo:
They’re all kick ass players who are also great people, so seeing them all together in a string quartet can’t help but be a good thing!
They’ve picked six great quartets to start their journey: the three relatively (and unjustly) neglected string quartets of Johannes Brahms, and the great Rasumovsky quartets of Ludwig van Beethoven – one of each on each concert.
The first of their three concert series will take place this Sunday, February 12, at 8 p.m. at Ivories Jazz Lounge & Restaurant (1435 NW Flanders St, Portland, 97219). The doors open at 7 pm for food and drink orders. The concert is free, but donations will be accepted towards the Oregon Symphony’s Kinderkonzert fund, in efforts to increase the number of outreach performances in Portland area schools.
You can follow Mousai Remix on Facebook and Twitter @mousairemix.
In case you were wondering, the Mousai (Muses) were the goddesses of music, song, and dance, in Greek mythology.