RASA Quartet returns to Rockport

This Saturday, February 3, Rasa Quartet returns to Rockport after three years. Their remarkable 2021 performance at the Rockport Celtic festival has brought back audiences to come see them perform at Shalin Liu performance center tomorrow.

Although the concert begins at 7:00pm, Rasa Quartet is also hosting a pre-concert talk at 6:00pm for those who are interested. Shalin Liu performance center is located at 37 Main St, Rockport. 

Fellow musician Gavin Johnston-Ransom from Rockport High school who frequently performs at the Shalin Liu performance center thinks it’s the perfect venue for this type of concert. 

“I think it’s an incredibly dazzling place, allowing new and old artists to express their talents through music,” Johnston said.

Rasa String Quartet is named after “RASA”, which in Sanskrit means an art form that elicits emotion from the audience, are story-telling musicians. They fall somewhere between folk and classical, known for collaborating with renowned folk musicians as they travel nation-wide and even internationally. 

In Italy, they won the 2022 Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition. The two previous years they were the winners of the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition in Ohio. They also participate in festivals and play at venues throughout the nation and have taught in music departments at institutions such as UMass Dartmouth and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

Rasa Quartet is here to play you a winter tale in a mix between jazz and classical. The program starts off strong with Strayhorn and concludes with a ninth string quartet by Shostakovich. It also features composers Mozart, Marsalis, Price, and Montgomery. 

For those unfamiliar with this genre, a string quartet is both a type of musical composition and the associated musical ensemble that consists of two violinists, a violist, and a cellist. Rasa Quartet’s members consist of violinists Maura Shawn Scanlin and Kiyoshi Hayashi, violist Emma Powell, and cellist Mina Kim. 

Worried about the cost? Tickets are only $15 with the option to purchase in advance through Rockport Music website or app! To find additional information about seating and the venue, visit www.rockportmusic.org.