Meet Vera Quartet | Written by: Kate Arndt & Grace Takeda

We had the good fortune of connecting with Vera Quartet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Vera Quartet, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
One of the unique challenges in a string quartet is that all four people must be able to work well together both from a musical and personal standpoint. We have found that it is crucial that we all have good relationships with each other in order to build mutual trust and respect within the group, which ultimately benefits our musical expression as well. We all genuinely enjoy each other’s company and when you are traveling together and seeing so much of each other all the time, it is something that seems really simple but is really important to what we do! We work hard to cultivate a healthy working environment so everyone feels free to share ideas and be creative together.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a group, we aim to promote inclusivity and accessibility in classical music. We love meeting and engaging with the different communities that we play for. We have also played with the boundaries of engagement within a concert performance with a work that we commissioned called, It Takes a Village, composed by Alexis Lamb. It is a beautiful 4 movement work, that involves audience participation to make the piece whole. This takes me to our next point, that we love to work and commission new works by composers. Our next commission is a piece by a brilliant young composer, Elise Arancio that will feature us as a quartet as well as our debut on toy instruments!

We all got to where we are today because of our passion and love for the art form. It definitely was not easy to get to “where we are” and I believe that it will only become harder as we dive even deeper into the details of the music. That is the beauty of music. One day, you will feel a certain way and play the music in a certain way but your feelings for the same music could change drastically the next day, month, or year. The malleability of what we do is special and irreplaceable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This past summer was our first time in Boulder, CO and we absolutely loved it. We didn’t realize there was a big thrifting culture in Boulder- but we may or may not have been repeat offenders at the thrift store, Apocalypse on Pearl Street.
We also loved the variety of food offered at Rosetta Hall- along with their rooftop patio. Boxcar Coffee, Avanti, and Trident Booksellers Cafe are a must-visit as well!
Of course, we can not forget the Chatauqua Auditorium. The auditorium itself is beautiful as well as the views. The concerts that happen there are top notch!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
We were so fortunate to have participated in the Colorado Music Festival this summer as one of their quartets-in-residence. It was incredibly inspiring to work with artistic director Peter Oundjian, as well as members of the Takacs Quartet and the Danish Quartet. We learned so much from our time playing with them and as a part of the orchestra as well. We have a very busy schedule during the year, so being able to spend 3 weeks together and just focusing solely on our musicianship and group dynamic was invaluable. We are so grateful to all of them for giving us such an incredible opportunity to come together and be inspired. Other mentors that are near and dear to us are the Brentano Quartet, Steve Tenenbom, Ani Kavafian, Harumi Rhodes, and the Miro Quartet.

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