Once described as “multilingual” for their captivating performances of music from around the world, the Carpe Diem String Quartet (CDSQ) is committed to redefining what it means to be a modern string quartet. CDSQ is known for pushing boundaries and removing barriers to engaging in music through their community projects. Their performances require concert goers to challenge their own perceptions about what string quartets can do, often pairing pieces that might seem in direct contrast with one another, like Haydn and traditional American folk songs.
This year marks the conclusion of one of CDSQ’s most ambitious projects to date. Created in 2020 and launched in 2021, “15 for 15” sought to celebrate the group’s 15-year history through 15 new commissions that highlight composers of diverse lived experiences. The resulting pieces range in theme and style, from ideas of self-reflection in Three Questions that Began from a Small Flame by Nicky Sohn to Jonathan Bingham’s narrative driven SOLOS. Also notable among CDSQ’s projects is “An American Story,” an interactive multimedia experience that prompts digital users to reflect on their family history through the lens of belonging and self-discovery.
As violinists Sam Weiser and Marisa Ishikawa, composer/violist Korine Fujiwara, and cellist Ariana Nelson conclude their “15 for 15” commissioning project and reflect on 20 years of Carpe Diem String Quartet, we caught up with the group to learn about their commitment to music by living composers and what two decades of collaboration has taught them.
Congratulations on what will be 20 years together later this year! In your experience, how has the string quartet model changed over the last two decades, and how do you see it continuing to change moving forward?
SW: This is such an interesting question! I think a certain amount of formality around the model has been trending downwards. We talk to our audience during shows, and our venues have become more intimate, more varied. I think there is a strong desire to share the connection of four people playing music together with audiences, to get rid of a power imbalance that previously defined performer-audience relationships.
KF: Quartets are finding unique ways of sustaining career paths in addition to competitions and academic residencies. We’re all resourceful diplomatic entrepreneurs! More quartets are seeking out “unknown” music, whether by lesser-known composers who were contemporaries of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, etc., or lesser-known, still-living composers who are OUR contemporaries. I’d say the same thing about non-traditional collaborations, different tonalities, keyalities, non-Western tonalities. Of course, there will always be performances of Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms. It’s exciting that there are new composer’s names being added to the list.
MI: I agree with Sam and Korine! It’s been exciting to see a trend towards smaller, more intimate venues. It brings the string quartet back into the environment for which it was meant – the chamber! As a performer, these smaller venues bring us physically closer to the audience, and we feed off of the energy and emotions that they are experiencing through the music. We’re also seeing a lot of beautiful, poignant, and accessible music being written for string quartet. Because of the inclusive, friendly environments and the accessible music, I also think string quartets are starting to attract new audience members, a trend that I hope continues to move forward.
AN: Technological advances have also contributed to some of these changes – there are more and more opportunities for new kinds of projects and performance experiences to be created, beyond playing on a stage in front of people.
CDSQ has produced a variety of artistic projects away from the concert stage, including the multimedia project, “An American Story.” Why is it important to you all to do such projects, and how have people responded – especially since this might be outside of what audiences expect from a string quartet?
SW: I believe in the power of music to tell stories, but it’s a particularly abstract medium for doing that, and that makes working with other media forms, and other brilliant storytellers, so creatively fulfilling. This project in particular, celebrating and humanizing the immigrant experience, feels like the exact story we should be telling right now.
KF: Each of our ancestors were immigrants, facing choices, risks, setbacks, losses. Their stories are shared by so many people. Looking for authentic common ground is an important factor in projects we choose to explore.
AN: We’ve gotten great responses to “An American Story,” particularly regarding the animation and interactive nature of it. It’s also unique because the music is completely original (composed by the quartet) and includes original art based on our ancestor’s stories. I can’t think of any other project out there quite like it. We wanted our audience to feel a part of the storytelling, by being able to engage with the material directly and seeing themselves represented in it. It’s important for us to connect with our audience, and this is a way they can feel connected with us too.
MI: Audiences have responded positively to “An American Story” so much so that we are working to adapt it into a live, audience interactive performance! I think projects such as these demonstrate that art is for everyone. It doesn’t matter if you can play an instrument, carry a tune, draw, dance, or act. Art affects all humans on an emotional level and is a necessary part of our lives, communities, and cultures. Producing projects such as these is our way of emphasizing the inclusiveness and importance of art in the hopes of encouraging others to prioritize and value it.
“15 for 15” was created in 2020 to celebrate CDSQ’s then 15-year anniversary. What was it like to work with 15 composers in such a short timeframe?
AN: It’s such a cool process to work with a composer who wrote something for you specifically, and then to do that multiple times is so interesting. Every composer has such a unique voice, and a different approach to workshopping their piece with the group. I find that it can be a pretty emotional experience, especially when we can have the composer there with us in person to listen to our interpretation of what they’ve created, give their feedback, and then (hopefully) feel gratified with the result. I think both sides have to be somewhat vulnerable to make the collaboration work, and that makes the outcome even more rewarding. It was particularly special for me to be able to work with a few composer friends of mine who I respect very much as musicians and people!
KF: From the composer’s view (as one of those “15 for 15” composers), writing music for people you know is such a wonderful gift! There are inside stories, jokes, shared smiles, all sorts of rehearsal “lexicon” that might find its way into the music. It’s also very vulnerable from the composer side, reversing roles and rehearsing your own music with the group. It’s raw and honest and keeps me humble.
Knowing what you know now after completing the “15 for 15 project,” what advice would you give to other ensembles looking to undertake similar kinds of commissioning efforts?
KF: Excellent question! There are quite a few things, actually. Funding, whether through grants, sponsors, consortiums is an essential part of the conversation to have early in the process. Determining an approximate length of commissioned pieces was also an early conversation. We asked our composers for 5-7 minutes, which ended up being a good length for everyone (some composers wrote longer works). Patience, flexibility, and communication are essential throughout the whole process. Each composer has their own timeline, process, commitments, commissions, projects already in place before you ask about your project. You have to figure out how to plan future seasons so that as scores are nearing completion, you have a basic idea where and when they will be played. Once you’ve reached an agreement together, you hope that the projected timeline roughly follows the course. You have to build a cushion into your timeline. There are always unpredictable interruptions (like a global pandemic, for example) that laugh at all your plans. And a fun one: be ready for an adventure! There are so many amazing composers alive today with creative, imaginative, unique voices and ideas further utilizing the known acoustic colors that exist, and exploring new sounds and extended techniques – we are so fortunate to have these opportunities! The first reading of each new work is like unwrapping a surprise gift! It’s the best!
Q5. What access barriers have you committed to removing for community members, and how has this impacted the way audiences engage with your work?
MI: We’ve tried to approach accessibility in various ways. All of our Randolph A. Foster Seize the Music Series concerts are free for anyone under 21. We also livestream all of our events for free, making each performance accessible to those who may not be able to attend in person. We also program music by composers who represent various ages, genders, and ethnicities. I think it’s important for audiences to see themselves represented on the concert stage, and including music written by a wide representation of composers is a powerful way of creating accessibility. I think these efforts have allowed us to engage with more individuals in our community, and have allowed more meaningful interactions between the quartet and listeners.
KF: We’ve always sought to meet audiences where they are, in order to build “trust” with them. Over the last couple decades this in turn has allowed us to program more adventurously. We’ve worked hard to curate programs and projects with a wide variety of styles and sounds, knowing that some things will resonate more than others, but ultimately everyone will find something new they’ll like, maybe love.
Speaking of meeting audiences where they are, a string quartet doesn’t require much space. It’s easy for us to bring music to people wherever they are. Over the last two decades we’ve regularly performed in K-12 classrooms, preschools, schools, public libraries, hospital rooms and lobbies, hospice centers, memory care, long-term and skilled nursing facilities, and reformatories. We bring our concerts to those facilities at no cost to them, making our concerts absolutely accessible to whomever wants to listen. We have a very diverse and eclectic standing repertoire; we can customize each performance to appeal to very broad audiences.
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