THE OVERLOOK
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Photo by Harold Levine
Animated by a shared expansive view of the chamber music experience, the “breathtaking”, “paradigm-shifting” (New York Music Daily) string quartet, The Overlook, curates vibrant, unexpected programs that transform sometimes unfamiliar music into unforgettable experiences that audiences crave hearing again.
Based in New York City, the quartet, comprised of violinists Monica Davis and Yezu Woo, violist Angela Pickett, and cellist Laura Metcalf has been presented in performances and residencies around the country, with collaborations including a performance with NY Philharmonic clarinetist Anthony McGill at Fotografiska NY’s inaugural Unfiltered Festival, an immersive experience playing in the life size sculptural installations of artist, Linda Sormin at MassMOCA, repeat performances of a meditative work for string quartet and improvising musician with jazz legend, Joe Lovano, and a weeklong residency connecting with Iris Collective community partners, focused on Deep Listening, in Memphis.
The quartet developed organically in 2020 from a simple need to make and share music with others during the pandemic shutdown. The longtime friends, some of New York’s most accomplished string players, gathered to play outdoors in parks and on street corners in Upper Manhattan and their community stopped to listen. As 3 time grant recipients from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, the quartet produced the performance series, “If the Stars Align” in their uptown NYC community with concerts at Washington Heights/Inwood cultural institutions including Hispanic Society of America, Morris-Jumel Mansion, Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, Fort Washington Collegiate Church, and the United Palace Theatre. Through casual outdoor performances and partnerships with local cultural institutions they built a following in person and online, connected with local businesses, composers and residential enclaves and witnessed firsthand the power of music to unite and inspire.
Outside of their local community the quartet crafts engaging programs highlighting the music of living composers as well as less familiar works of the past. They have shared performances on series around the country and beyond including Iris Collective Memphis, ChatterABQ, The Arts Club of DC, Lehigh University, Rochester Chamber Music Society (Vermont), Taos Chamber Music Group and Tuckamore Festival in NL Canada.
Continuing the quartet’s founding ethos to share music with people where they are, The Overlook brings residencies to non-traditional spaces as well as to schools and universities. The quartet has created residency programs in conversation with partners including yoga and meditation teachers, music therapists, and grief counselors in addition to music teachers and students.
Building lasting relationships with composers and consistently championing new works, engaging with collaborators across disciplines, and making programs accessible to multiple communities, The Overlook captivates audiences with a more relevant chamber music experience.
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