Carpe Diem String Quartet, Beyond the Classics

One Symphony with Devin Patrick Hughes

Charles Wetherbee and Korine Fujiwara of Carpe Diem String Quartet chat with conductor Devin Patrick Hughes on One Symphony. The Carpe Diem String Quartet is a boundary-breaking ensemble who’s mission is to forge a new identity for chamber music by championing living composers, undertaking daring projects with other art forms, and promoting the healing power of music. They’ve earned widespread acclaim for their performances of standard repertoire, new music, genre-bending collaborations, and community engagement.

Carpe Diem defies classification with programming and collaborations that encompass and blend new and old, including classical, Romani, tango, folk, pop, rock, jazz, and multicultural music. Their outreach performances, including MusiCare, Music Goes 2 School, and Music from the Start, incorporate diverse and eclectic repertoire tailored to specific audience demographics, bringing their inspiring performances and outreach to diverse audiences such as the Apache Nation to families at the Columbus Museum of Art, and residents at the Ohio Women’s Reformatory.

Thank you to Carpe Diem String Quartet members Charles Wetherbee and Korine Fujiwara, and all the amazing artists who made this episode possible! Korine Fujiwara’s Cherry Blossom from the album Montana was played by the Carpe Diem String Quartet, and Fujiwara’s The Storyteller, a Concerto for Violin and String Orchestra was performed by Charles Wetherbee, conducted by Chosei Komatsu and the Central Aichi Symphony Orchestra. For Reza Vali’s The Book of Calligraphy Carpe Diem was joined by Darius Saghafi on Albany Records. Erbek Eryilmaz’s Insistent Music was performed by the composer and Carpe Diem String Quartet.

You can follow Carpe Diem at CarpeDiemStringQuartet.com, and go to OneSymphony.org for more info, or if you’d like to donate to keep the music playing and support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, and share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!