Changing perspectives and igniting hearts, the Ivalas Quartet is taking the stage in Chautauqua for the very first time.
Ivalas Quartet — with Reuben Kebede and Tiani Butts on violin, Marcus Stevenson on viola, and Pedro Sanchez on cello — is performing at 4:15 p.m. today in Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall for the Chautauqua Chamber Music Guest Artist Series with a program that is outside of their norm, consisting of all contemporary works.
Their program includes Jessie Montgomery’s “Strum,” Carlos Simon’s “Warmth from Other Suns,” Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2, and Derrick Skye’s “Deliverance.”
“Strum” is the culmination of several pieces written in 2006, and was arranged for string quartets in 2008. Montgomery’s musical style combines many genres — classical elements, folk music, spirituals, improvisation, R&B, jazz, hip-hop, and elements of poetry — that brings a unique experience with every piece.
“Warmth from Other Suns” draws inspiration from Isabel Wilkerson’s The Warmth of Other Suns, a Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle selection in 2011, about the Great Migration of African-Americans from the rural south to the northeast, midwest, and urban west. A Grammy-nominated artist, Simon’s work highlights the importance of heritage and identity; his most recent album, Shame of Chicago, uncovers the true stories behind the system of racial segregation and wealth disparity in Chicago. It’s the piece this afternoon that makes Kebede the most emotional.
“You might feel nostalgia, longing, fear, and doubt, but also there’s a lot of beauty in that work,” he said. “It’s incredibly dynamic, and I’m excited for the audience to hear that.”
The work has three movements, the first called “Rays of Light” with what Kebede describes as beautiful texture; the second is called “Flight” which has blues undertones and sounds like it’s “running away from something.” The final movement is titled “Settle” and it “brings back themes from the first movement, and maybe the families have arrived at their destination in the north,” Kebede said — “but the way it ends makes you wonder whether it is truly settled or not.”
Continuing with the afternoon’s program, Jamaican-British composer Alberga gained notoriety as a pianist due to her improvisation sessions, leading to many commissions for new compositions. Her String Quartet No. 2 was written in 1994 and begins with an explosive motif that is explored throughout the rest of the piece.
“Deliverance” was written specifically for Ivalas Quartet, and premiered in February. It blends Persian classical melodic systems with rhythmic elements from West and North African music to play with perspective. The piece demonstrates how something initially perceived as an imperfection, over time and with a change in perspective, can be seen as an aspect of perfection.
Although the audience might find something a little bit off — most may be used to the Western classical canon — Kebede said the ears will accept it with a bit of listening.
Formed in 2017, Ivalas Quartet has distinguished itself on world stages with a commitment to inclusivity, artistic curiosity, and excellence in performance. Awards include the top prize at the 2019 WDAV Young Artist Chamber Music Competition in North Carolina and the grand prize at the 2022 Coltman Music Competition in Texas.
Ivalas seeks to celebrate BIPOC voices because “anytime you have a diversity of voices and opinions, it makes things stronger,” Kebede said. The quartet focuses on community work by going into schools and playing for children; for Kebede, this is personal. When he was a kid, a quartet visited his school — but no one in the group looked like him.
“We’re able to go in and be a string quartet that looks like a lot of students who might not see a violinist who is Black or a cellist who is Latino. That’s something that really affects us, as well, when we see students react so positively to the things we’re doing. … It really is one of our favorite things to do because it just warms your heart.”
The quartet’s musicians are dedicated teachers, as well. Through the Sphinx Organization, Ivalas has presented programming in the Metro Detroit area, emphasizing community engagement. The group is also the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School, and performs an annual recital in Carnegie Hall.
Although this is the first time the quartet is performing at Chautauqua, Ivalas’ cellist Sanchez was a student in the Music School Festival Orchestra, so this is a full-circle moment for him. From being taught to teaching, Kebede finds a new perspective through collaborating and getting creative with methods.
“Music brings joy to a lot of people. It’s fun to be in a school and play something then see the kids’ faces,” Kebede said. “Of course, on any given day, it might not affect everybody, but I think if we have gone into a school and one kid out of 100 is like, ‘Whoa, I want to try playing the cello,’ then we’ve really done our job.”
