Beo String Quartet performs a mix of classic works with multimedia-infused compositions
With a dedication to classical masterpieces equally matched by a contagious enthusiasm for new music, the Beo String Quartet performs a concert featuring classic repertory juxtaposed with new, multimedia-infused works, including a piece composed by a Virginia Tech music professor, at the Moss Arts Center on Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
The performance will be held in the center’s Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre, located within the Street and Davis Performance Hall at 190 Alumni Mall.
A shared dedication to the continued understanding, exploration, and love of music is what inspired Jason Neukom, Sean Neukom, Sandro Leal-Santiesteban, and Ryan Ash to form the Beo String Quartet. The ensemble performs the masterpieces of the string quartet repertoire, collaborates with living composers, and engages new listeners through performance, thoughtful demonstration, and a strong social media presence.
The quartet’s evening performance includes Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, op. 76, no. 1, and “Triple Quartet,” a multimedia work composed by Beo String Quartet violist Sean Neukom.
The concert’s finale will be the premiere of “Or Be Forever Fallen,” an electroacoustic work for amplified string quartet, computer, and video, composed by Charles Nichols, assistant professor of composition and creative technologies in Virginia Tech’s School of Performing Arts and faculty fellow with the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology.
In the piece, Nichols explores a fusion of styles, combining the tradition and craft of classical music with the intensity and bravado of metal. Bridging virtuosic performances and interactive computer music, “Or Be Forever Fallen” heavily processes the amplified string quartet with saturated audio effects.
Nichols is collaborating with Zach Duer, a video artist and assistant professor in Virginia Tech’s School of Visual Arts. Duer has created animation of imaginary machinery and landscape that is tightly coordinated with the music and will be projected behind the Beo String Quartet as they perform on the Moss Arts Center’s stage.
Formed in 2015, the Beo String Quartet presents uniquely crafted educational seminars, as well as formal and informal performances. The ensemble has held residencies at music festivals, including the Charlotte New Music Festival and Dakota Chamber Music, where they coached and performed alongside the celebrated Ying String Quartet. The group was also selected as a major winner in the Pittsburgh Concert Society competition in 2016.
Immediately following the performance, audience mmbers can engage with the Beo String Quartet musicians in a free informal question-and-answer session.
This performance is supported in part by a gift from David A. West and Lindsay B. West.
During their visit, members of Beo String Quartet will lead a master class with Virginia Tech music students and present a free school-day performance for third- through eighth-grade students from Craig, Floyd, Giles, Montgomery, and Pulaski counties, as well as the cities of Radford and Roanoke.
Tickets
Tickets for the performance are $20-45 for general public and $10 for students and youth 18 and under. Tickets can be purchased online; at the Moss Arts Center's box office, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday; or by calling 540-231-5300 during box office hours.
Parking is available in the North End Parking Garage on Turner Street. Virginia Tech faculty and staff possessing a valid Virginia Tech parking permit can enter and exit the garage free of charge. Limited street parking is also available. Parking on Alumni Mall is free on weekdays after 5 p.m. and on weekends.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact Kacy McAllister at 540-231-5300 or email kacy@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to an event.
