[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” locked=”off” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row column_structure=”2_5,3_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”2_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
Contemporary string quartet, Thalea, performs at Western<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Camille Lenning<\/strong> | Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/files\/2022\/04\/Courtesy-of-thaleastringquartet.com_.jpg” title_text=”Courtesy of thaleastringquartet.com” _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_divider color=”#8c8c8c” divider_position=”center” divider_weight=”8px” _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” width=”90%” module_alignment=”center” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_5″ _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.14.1″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n The internationally acclaimed music group, Thalea String Quartet, made an appearance on campus on April 2. In a performance made possible by the Smith Fine Arts Series, Thalea wowed the audience with their contemporary take on chamber music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The group began by gracing Rice Auditorium with a piece by contemporary composer Akshaya Avril Tucker, called \u201cRadha in the Forest.\u201d Violinist Kumiko Sakamoto introduced the song by reading from the program note written by Tucker, which described the emotions portrayed by the composition as \u201cdelirious joy, floating above painful loneliness.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The piece featured soprano vocals from Sakamoto, a first for the chamber group. Her operatic voice filled the room with a bittersweet song as she painted the scene of the classical Sanskrit heroine Radha pine for her lover, Krishna, in a cold winter forest in 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Thalea\u2019s concert program included a rendition of the iconic B-side medley, \u201cThe Long One,\u201d on the Beatles\u2019 album, <\/span>Abbey Road<\/span><\/i>. Guitar and drum solos were transposed for violin and cello, and musicians Christopher Whitley and Titilayo Ayangade did not disappoint in their renditions of the iconic Beatles tunes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ayangade then introduced their next piece, Florence B. Price\u2019s \u201cFive Folk Songs in Counterpoint.\u201d An inspirational Black artist, Price\u2019s composition includes five popular American melodies, \u201cCavalry,\u201d \u201cClementine,\u201d \u201cDrink to Me Only with Thine Eyes,\u201d \u201cShortnin\u2019 Bread\u201d and \u201cSwing Low, Sweet Chariot.\u201d Each song spurred quiet declarations of recognition, and the latter song featured an impressive cello-forward performance from Ayangade.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Violist Lauren Spaulding introduced the next work, a folk-inspired piece by Czech composer Anton\u00edn Dvo\u0159\u00e1k. The piece consisted of four movements that aimed to capture the spirit of America, which Dvo\u0159\u00e1k came to appreciate after his time in the country. The joyful piece was clearly a favorite of Spaulding\u2019s, who more than once rose from her chair, swept up in the music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When they had finished their main set, Thalea granted the audience an encore that required their participation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThere are only two rules,\u201d Whitley said of the piece, \u201cwhen we clap, you clap. When we don\u2019t clap, you don\u2019t clap.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n What followed was a song that featured the talents of all four musicians in bouts of solos, while the audience clapped to the beat as directed by those onstage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Contemporary string quartet, Thalea, performs at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1094,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"modified_by":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18712\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}