The Haven String Quartet on Tour
This past November, Yaira, Patrick, Linda and I embarked on our first-ever European tour as the HSQ. For nearly twenty years, the Haven String Quartet has been playing concerts in every corner of the Greater New Haven region; from the top of a flatbed truck on the NH Green to Sprague Hall at Yale, concerts in MA and RI, and at Merkin Hall in NYC, making music in New England has been central to our identity both as a quartet and an organization. So, with great excitement and anticipation, we were eager to step out onto a bigger stage to share not just our music, but the story and importance of the work we do at Music Haven with new audiences whom otherwise might not be familiar with the work we do every day at Music Haven.
Our first series of concerts were in Kraków, Poland, a city near and dear to my heart and a place I hadn’t returned to in nearly 20 years. I attended the Kraków Academy of Music for two years in the mid 2000s after my undergrad and received an Artist Diploma there, though my family’s connection with Kraków actually goes back much further than that; my father is a composer of avant-garde electro-acoustic music, and in 1990 my family traveled together on his Fulbright, living in Kraków for 6 months as he taught and performed. I was just a young child then, but the magical history that radiates from every cobblestone, gargoyle, castle and cathedral in one of Europe’s most beautiful medieval cities are some of my earliest and most cherished childhood memories. Getting to return and perform there with my dear colleagues in the HSQ was a true joy.
The HSQ’s journey to Kraków was in part thanks to my father, who composed two new pieces for the HSQ which we performed at the Bunkier Sztuki as part of the international 2025 Audio Art Festival. While in Kraków, we also gave a series of masterclasses for the students at the Kraków Academy of Music that culminated in a concert/lecture titled The Art of Collaboration: Chamber Music and Professional Pathways in American Music and Teaching. We shared our practical experiences, backgrounds, and entrepreneurial approach that shapes our work as the resident string quartet of Music Haven. We discussed blending artistry, social justice, and music education in the ever-changing landscape facing teachers and performers alike. Hearing about the work we do at Music Haven was eye-opening to many of the young musicians, and we had many wonderful discussions both with faculty and students throughout our day at the Academy.
After our concerts in Kraków - and I mean immediately after! - we boarded a train that departed at 3am for Vilnius, Lithuania, where we met up with our wonderful friend and colleague Andrius Zlabys. With Andrius, we performed another concert at Paliesius, a stunning concert venue about two hours outside of Vilnius that is a bit like Lithuania’s mini-Ravinia; there’s a restaurant, health spa, and series of guest suites in a restored 18th century manor that invites visitors and music lovers for a restful weekend retreat of nature, rejuvenation, and art.
The concerts and tour were all a great success, and the quartet came home stronger and more motivated than ever. Both Poland and Lithuania have asked us to return, and we also received invitations to perform in Ireland and Italy, so we’re hoping this will be the first of many HSQ tours! It’s been wonderful to come back home and share stories of our travels and performances with our Music Haven students and families - more to come!
