Beta Quartet plays to make audiences think
Having been performing together for about 10 years, the members of the Beta Quartet have turned to commissioning new pieces written for flute to continue pushing the limits of expressing ideas and asking hard questions through music.
The Beta Quartet will perform Sunday, June 22, at Blackwood Arts, where the group will debut songs written with the theme of this season, “Anthems of dialogue,” in mind, to help drive conversation among listeners.
Cassandra Eisenreich, one of the members of the quartet, said the performance also will offer prompts to the audience to get them to think while listening to the songs.
“For this specific season, what we’re looking to do is spark thought and deeper reflection,” Eisenreich said. “These program notes are more than just context, but they are like an invitation; they guide the listener to engage.
“I don't think our goal is just to entertain, it’s to move you in some way.”
The quartet is made up of Eisenreich, Eftihia Arkoudis, Tatiana Cassetta and Meg Brennan, who each play flute, or a type of flute, and sometimes use vocals and other instruments in their performances.
The quartet’s performances feature a number of classical pieces, but also jazz and improvisational music that allows them to take the audience on a journey of sound and thought, according to Arkoudis. She said the music is meant to tell stories, which the audience is guided through with musical scripts that include details about each piece.
“We share the story behind the work and put a prompt — a question — that will be out while the music is playing,” Arkoudis said. “The audience will have a musical script that they can meditate on and bring their own lived experiences and see how they connect. We altogether are creating this innovative space.”
Because of the thought that goes into each piece, Eisenreich said the performance is not meant to “sit in the background,” and instead envelop audience members in sound and stories.
Cassetta said the quartet commissioned composers to write music to specific themes, which are meant to help audiences sink into the music and relate to the stories being told.
“One of the coolest parts about working on this project is once we read through the work we had a part in editing the piece and learning their intentions behind specific sections,” Cassetta said.
Arkoudis said that while the music gets intricate and the performers get involved with the music in deep ways to convey its emotion, it is not necessarily a show meant strictly as entertainment. She said she hopes people who attend will engage genuinely with the prompts, and leave the performance reflecting on the themes conveyed.
“How can it be used for advocacy? Elevating stories that often go unheard,” Arkoudis said. “All they need is to have an open heart, where they come in and listen to those stories and reflect on their experiences.”
The Beta Quartet will perform at 2 p.m. June 22, at Blackwood Arts, 118 Blackwood Lane in Marion Township. For advance tickets, visit Blackwood Arts’ website, blackwoodarts.org/events-1.
