Five questions for Chiara String Quartet

Chamber musicians on a quest to reach younger audiences

The Rocky

Originally published 02:40 p.m., February 27, 2008
Updated 02:40 p.m., February 27, 2008

Photo by Anthony Hawley

The Chiara String Quartet likes the open-mindedness of audiences at its club performances. From left: Jonah Sirota, Gregory Beaver, Julie Yoon and Rebecca Fischer.

Boulder's Rock N Soul Cafe and Dulcinea's 100th Monkey in Denver are not your typical venues for a chamber music ensemble - unless it's the Juilliard-trained Chiara String Quartet. The group, in residence at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, visits those clubs this week, as part of a quest to reach out to audiences of rock-loving 20-somethings. Is it working? Rocky music writer Marc Shulgold spoke with the Chiara's violist Jonah Sirota to find out.

1. What made you decide to perform in clubs?

Partly because it makes us feel cool. Don't misunderstand - we love concert halls, and we play them a lot. But in clubs, we've found that (listeners') minds are open. Wherever we play, we're trying to communicate. After all, a string quartet is a conversation among equals. I know there's a big distinction (in classical music) between formal concerts and outreach programs. Now why is that? They should never be separated. It's so important to us to get people to hear this music. But these days, we're starting to feel the ground shifting beneath our feet.

2. So you think this approach is catching on?

We've been inspired by the Kronos Quartet and their approach to performing (in unusual venues, with atmospheric stage lighting, etc.). Of course, (cellist) Matt Haimovitz was the trailblazer in taking the music to clubs. But now a lot of groups are doing this, and that's great. It's been a lot of fun playing these places. We get mostly college-age kids, but also young professionals - and older folks, too. Most of them seem artistically engaged. It's neat when that happens.

3. Clubs and bars can get pretty noisy, though. Do you use amplification to overcome the distractions?

We do carry our own mikes, but we're not always amplified. Noise is not a problem, really. We can play quiet music comfortably. People are usually sensitive to what's happening onstage.

4. What about repertory? Do you do things like the arrangement of Jimi Hendrix's Purple Haze that the Kronos plays?

The first thing we do is feel out the audience, to decide what to play. We've discovered that it's OK to challenge our audiences. We'll usually do some Haydn and Brahms, along with a recent piece by our friend Jefferson Friedman. It's fun to play music by our contemporaries and friends, so we can talk about who they are and what they're like. I think it's important to humanize composers. As for the pop thing, we'll do some surprise cover versions - but I don't want to give those away.

5. Have you been winning converts?

Well, we enjoy chatting with folks afterward and hearing their comments. Most are enthusiastic. They want to know about our Web site (chiaraquartet.net) and some e-mail us. But it's hard to know if they become chamber- music lovers after hearing us play. Personally, I'm not worried about that sort of spillover. We just want to engage our listeners, and see if we can build an audience - for us or for this music. Either way is fine.

Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer. Shulgoldm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5296

Chiara String Quartet

* When and where: 8 p.m. Friday, Avogadro's Number, 605 S. Mason St., Fort Collins; 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Rock N Soul Cafe, 5290 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder; 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dulcinea's 100th Monkey, 717 E. Colfax Ave.

* Information: Fort Collins: 970-493-5555; Boulder: 303-443-5108; Denver: 303-832-3601