The Boston-based Rasa String Quartet explores the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another.
They’ve earned top prizes at competitions including Chamber Music in Yellow Springs and the Associazione Europea di Musica e Comunicazione (Italy), and have performed at events like the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Celebrity Series of Boston, Rockport Music, and Newport Classical. Collaborators include renowned artists like Maeve Gilchrist, Liz Carroll, and Judy Collins.
Through performances, residencies, and collaborations across the country, Rasa delivers fresh, engaging programs that blend classical elegance with folk charm, celebrate global musical roots, and highlight underrepresented composers.
Queer Ensemble Project, founded by Mina Kim and Sam Kelder in 2024, is an initiative to uplift and celebrate queer artistry in the greater Boston area; to bring to the forefront LGBTQ+ performers and composers, amplify their individual voices; and start conversations between performers and audience with the ambition of building a stronger community around music – particularly audiences of LGBTQ+ youth and elders who may experience the need for community the greatest.
Season partnering organizations include Ethos Boston, OutstandingLife, The Pryde, First Church Somerville, and the J. S. Brayant School.
Praised for their "profound communication," and "thoughtful choices of timbre, articulation, dynamic contrast, and balance," Oko is a harp trio based in Boston consisting of violinist Emma Powell, cellist Mina Kim, and harpist Charles Overton. The three musicians met at the Tanglewood Music Center in 2016 and united with a mutual belief in the power of music to create meaningful human connections to form Oko. The ensemble strives to expand the harp trio repertoire by commissioning new works and arrangements while showcasing the diverse capabilities inherent to this distinctive instrumentation.
Oko shared the Japanese dish okonomiyaki (cooked by the master chef, Emma!) in their first rehearsal along with giggles (hence, Oko—) and happily committed to bringing joy to concert halls through their collaborations and friendship.
It's not Classical Music — It's Disreputable Classical Music.
We know what the rules are. We just like breaking them. We’re here to create art, and our one purpose is to move people, to change their lives a little bit in the way only art can, and we don't let propriety get in the way of that. We shrug at labels. We throw aside convention for convention's sake and relentlessly pursue the music that makes us shout, grin, laugh or cry. Everything else is just details.
In the end, we love music, and we play it like someone's going to take it away from us when the show is over.