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Tesla Quartet

String Quartet
New York, NY

Praised by Gramophone Magazine for its “tautness of focus and refinement of detail,” the Tesla Quartet brings polish and prowess to both new and established repertoire through high profile performances, teaching engagements, and dynamic community outreach.

What's an emerging opportunity that can be developed in the classical music performance world / how can classical music expand its impact in the present moment?

Right now we are faced with a unique situation that the classical music world hasn’t experienced in roughly 70 years. Musicians who are facing an immediate future with no performances have an opportunity to reimagine the concert experience for an audience that is spread throughout a community rather than gathered in a concert hall. Social media and other online platforms are fertile soil for this type of experimentation.

How does your own artistic work reflect the values of the AVANT initiative in general, and/or the IMPACT PERFORMANCE competition in particular?

In our programming we aim to connect works from a variety of different eras by highlighting elements both musically and historically. Through these connections our audience can share in a more universal idea that proves to be relevant to any generation. For instance, pairing string quartets by Haydn and Prokofiev, who lived and worked more than 100 years apart, shows both artists as masters of their craft who revel in toying with the listener’s expectations and expressing a sense of humor through their music.

What could leaders of the classical music sector prioritize, to empower artists to achieve their visions?

What the audience connects and responds to the most is the passion the artists convey for the music they perform. That passion is contagious and will stick with the listener much longer than the actual music they hear. If leaders in the classical music sector prioritize artist-curated programming, they are more likely to empower artists to feed their creativity and communicate their passion.