Voxare Quartet voices its musical opinion

A roomful of music-hungry listeners again filled Philosophy Hall on Monday, Feb. 7, for the Voxare String Quartet's rendition of Charles Ives’ String Quartet No. 1 in the first spring semester installment of Miller Theatre’s free Lunchtime Concert series. But the group serving campus with monthly classical tastes is more than a musical amuse-bouche.

Formed in 2008, the Voxare Quartet is comprised of Juilliard graduate violinists Emily Ondracek and Galina Zhdanova, violist Erik Peterson, and cellist Adrian Daurov. One of the fastest-rising chamber groups in the classical world today, it frequently performs at premier Brooklyn classical music venue Bargemusic and other venues nationwide.

Unlike most chamber orchestra groups, Voxare is known for breaking down classical music barriers in an effort to bridge the gap between the classical and the modern. The group performs everything from the traditional classics of Haydn and Beethoven to works by modern composers like Ned Rorem and David Del Tredici. The quartet recently won the 2010 American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers’ New Music Award for its attempts to draw connections between traditional and contemporary music.

“We try to play music that we really like,” Ondracek said. In addition to leading the busy life of a musician, Ondracek is also pursuing a doctorate in music education at Teachers College.

“All the new music that we play is pieces that we really like or we really want to promote,” she said, talking about her work with Voxare. “Music is all about connections. We have to feel some kind of connection to it.”

The name “Voxare” is derived from the Latin word “vox,” meaning voice, which reflects the quartet’s desire to have a unique voice that can speak to audiences.

The musicians have found that their individual experiences have also helped them connect to the music they play. “Two things that we have unique to us are that we are two couples, and we’re also two Americans and two Russians,” Ondracek said. Ondracek is married to Peterson, the group’s other American member.

The group members’ diverse backgrounds made the preparation of Charles Ives’ American modernist music for the Lunchtime Concert series a cultural as well as a musical journey.

“Ives incorporates so many popular religious tunes from the early 20th century that Emily and I are at least somewhat familiar with, and can at least recognize the essence of them, whereas Adrian and Galina don’t have as much familiarity with them, so it’s been a learning experience for them,” Peterson said. “It’s a similar thing [for us] when we play Shostakovich, though, with which they’re infinitely familiar.”

Though this quartet may only be a few years old, it continues to make its voice heard throughout the Columbia community. Those who missed the Feb. 7 lunchtime musical treat can see the group at the next Lunchtime Concert in March, this time with Virgil Thomson’s neo-romantic music on the menu.