Hampton Youth Quartet consists of four wonderful teenagers that have a musical gift and love to share it with an audience. Before COVID-19, they used to play with their school orchestra for the annual school concerts in front of parents and classmates. Hopefully, perhaps by late spring, that may happen again. When they play together as the Hampton Youth Quartet, magic happens. On Sunday, February 28, at 4:00p.m., they will be performing the music of Mozart and Dvořák – along with some of the other classics. Their performance will be presented free virtually by the Southampton Cultural Center (SCC). Their coach is the amazing Chris Shaunnessey.
The young musicians expressed their enthusiasm for this upcoming project. They have practiced long hours at home, combining their individual skills into a wonderful quartet. If you have never actually listened to a quartet, you should definitely tune in to this program because a quartet has the unique ability to move listeners beyond the music. The first violin usually soars with delicate but precise notes, while the second violin soothes with notes that blend into amazing complimentary sounds – with both the cello and the viola who are filling in the bottom notes with notes of fluid motion, yet emotional harmonies. Together, all four instruments create a tight energy of music that is easy to listen to and enjoy. King Louis XIV of France usually had a string quartet nearby at all times to lift his spirits.
The Hampton Youth Quartet showcases Kristina Georges on violin, Tessa Arnzen on violin, Julian Misut on viola, and Charlotte Arnzen on the cello. They took time from schoolwork and practice for a Zoom interview with Hamptons.com. The talented group is excited to be performing virtually. They spoke about how they see the impact with COVID on the arts and are happy to be able to be moving forward in any way they can. Concerts are what they look forward to all year and they have had to reinvent how they perform.
Julian is a very composed and confident 15-year-old. He is from Southampton and started playing the viola when he was six-years-old. When asked about a future in music, Julian expressed an interest in composing – noting modestly that he has already penned some orchestra compositions.
Georges sees a future in science, yet wants music to remain a huge part of her life.
The truth is they all are multi-talented – as Tessa actually plays both violin and viola – and she also “dabbles in guitar.” Charlotte plays cello and a bit of piano, while Kristina focuses on both violin and piano. Julian not only plays viola and piano, but also composes music. They are all members of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra as well.
The Hampton Youth Quartet Winter Performance will be presented broadcast via Facebook.com/SHCulturalCenter. While the concert is complimentary, a donation in support of SCC would be welcomed with open arms.
For more information, visit www.scc-arts.org.
