Dolphins String Quartet brings pure joy to Grey Towers

There was pure joy at every level as the Kindred Spirits Arts Program (KSAP) celebrated the opening concert of its 25th season in the Great Hall at Grey Towers on April 26. Every seat was filled with music lovers joyfully listening to this talented string quartet make chamber music vibrant, relevant, personal and reflective. The Dolphins refer to themselves as a string quartet and composer collective “dedicated to uniting spirits through musical interpretations, innovation, and improvisation.”

“We are so excited to bring in such a talented young group to kick off our 25th season and they exceeded all our expectations,” Dale Thatcher, president of KSAP, said as he introduced them. This Juilliard-trained quartet was formed four years ago and their music reflects their symbiotic relationship. They met at camp in Maine, and just continued playing and composing. They practically finish each other’s sentences musically. Their technique is precise, dynamic, and expressive, while their lyrical phrasing conveys their emotion. The joy they have as they play together is palpable.

The four artists are Luke Henderson and Isaac Park on violin, and James Preucil on viola with Ian Maloney on cello. While they have garnered numerous grants and awards, especially for working with other young people and some living composers like John Corigliano, they have a healthy collaborative sense of humor.

Familiar pieces and original compositions

The season opener program they played on April 26, included Beethoven’s String Quartet No.10 in E- flat major, Op. 74, and Dvorak’s String Quartet No. 10 in E -flat major Op 51.

There was supposed to be a selection from Erwin Schulhoff, but it had to be passed over since there was more time than expected devoted to the Dolphins’ playing their own composition, “Tales of the Great Lakes.” This was the crown jewel in the concert and the audience thoroughly enjoyed it.

Maloney said, “Tales of the Great Lakes” is a 23-minute rhapsody illustrating some of the experiences the quartet had at the Great Lakes.

“We spent a great deal of time improvising as an ensemble about these shared experiences-not with any rules or organization, just freely playing music in a special form of exploratory conversation. These improvisations are where our compositional seeds come from: sometimes, the perfect theme emerges during an improv and later, we take turns developing it into something more cohesive and clean; others, an entire improv session ends up being transcribed as part of our final product.”

Many in the audience were impressed by the caliber of the artists.

“It was amazing to see young people who are so talented and who can write beautiful music based on their experiences. Their connection with their instruments was truly impressive,” Joan Polishook, local artist and decades long supporter said. Local philanthropist and Kindred Spirits supporter Rebecca Lindsey added, “It’s so encouraging at a time when traditional classical music audiences are ageing, to see the talent and enthusiasm of these musicians who will be able to encourage a new generation of listeners.”

Amy Litzenberger co-founder and board member was sitting in the audience absolutely thrilled, as she reflected on this momentous occasion.

Nancy Pinchot, a co-founder of Kindred Spirits, mentioned, “The Intensity of the musicians and their devotion to chamber music and the chamber music repertoire. They are proof that the tradition still exists and with such passion. It brought me back to the first days right here in this room.”

The audience showed their appreciation and joy with a rousing standing ovation. Co-founder Yosef Feigelson closed the concert by saying, “I am very happy we have started our anniversary season with performance inside Grey Towers -exactly as it first started a quarter of century ago, and with an excellent ensemble of very young musicians destined for a lasting career in music.”

“Tales of the Great Lakes” is featured, among other compositions, on the group’s new album called “Dolphins at Play” and is available on all streaming platforms: YouTube, Spotify, Apple, etc. It is also available for sale on iTunes, as well.