The string quartet Rewound is an extension of Classical Revolution KC, a nonprofit chamber music organization that seeks to change people's misconceptions of classical music as "old, tired and formal." Rewound regularly performs the work of and collaborates with local songwriters and composers in nontraditional venues such as Californos in Westport, Kansas City and at Vinyl Renaissance in Overland Park. They will bring their energized take on modern chamber music with a free, all-ages performance at the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center on Friday, August 10 @ 7pm.
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Introduce the quartet. How and when did Rewound start? Quartet members, Alyssa Bell, viola Carmen Dieker, violin Ezgi Karakuş, cello and Noah McNair, bass came together in August of 2017 to begin new a music series at Vinyl Renaissance in Downtown Overland Park on Each third Friday of the month. Our focus was on incorporating improvisation and playing recognizable songs. Having had varying advanced musical training and diverse individual projects in the past it was easy for the four to form a productive and creative performance environment.
Describe the mission of Rewound. Our mission is to become more well-rounded and capable musicians while enhancing our already practiced skills by incorporating improvisation and collaborative projects into our repertoire.
Talk about the collaborative nature of Rewound with local composers. Being an offshoot of the Classical Revolution KC family, Rewound has recently started a collaboration with Claire Adams, who recorded an album featuring Classical Resolution KC musicians in 2016. These songs are arranged by Peter Lawless who arranged the original renditions for a small orchestra. We have also worked with local singer-songwriters such as Sara Morgan, who performed a few of her songs at a Third Friday event with Rewound in 2017. It is great collaborating with local, talented artists who are open to making something unique and want to learn from the process. It can be very rewarding for both parties to learn from different styles of music/musicians.
How often do you rehearse? How much rehearsal goes into a typical performance? Rewound typically meets a few times before a performance. When we have a more regular performances schedule we may not meet as often since the material would be fresh, but a new project such as the collaboration with Claire Adams would require at least one rehearsal without her and a couple with her.
What would you like people to know about the art of arranging? How is this a creative process? The art of arranging is one of the most creative processes in music because you have all the freedom in the world, yet you are guided by the terms of the piece such as: key, melody, harmonies, etc. All of these items are, "musts" but anything else goes. This gives the arranger/arrangers creative freedom. The songs we have arranged as a group have taken MUCH collaborative rehearsal and bonding time, but they are the most enjoyable and free songs we perform. It is rewarding to hear a vision come to life, and in many cases have your colleagues exceed your expectations through collaborative arranging.