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Updated 8/10/2023

Rasa String Quartet

  • M

    MA

Institution/Business Type: Performing Group

Rasa String Quartet finds their niche exploring the musical space where classical and folk traditions intersect and influence one another. 

Formed in 2019, the Boston-based ensemble consists of violinists Maura Shawn Scanlin and Kiyoshi Hayashi, violist Emma Powell, and cellist Mina Kim, who are graduates of the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music, and Yale University.

Rasa String Quartet are winners of the 2022 Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition (Italy,) the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition (ATL,) the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition (OH,) and were the 2022-23 ensemble in residence at Phillips Exeter Academy.

They’ve collaborated with renowned folk musicians like Celtic harpist, Maeve Gilchrist, Hardanger Fiddler, Dan Trueman, and Singer-Songwriter, Judy Collins, performed their own programs at various venues and festivals around the country, including the 2023 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Rockport Music, WGBH, WBUR, and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, and have taught educational residencies at a variety of institutions like UMass Dartmouth and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

By exploring the connection between music and storytelling at the heart of folk traditions, Rasa String Quartet delivers engaging and accessible programs that showcase works from a variety of cultures and highlight unknown composers. They seek to educate their audiences by contextualizing the genres, styles, and composers they present, inviting their listeners to approach both familiar and unfamiliar sounds with an open and curious mind.

In sanskrit, the term ‘RASA’ refers to the indescribable power of any art form to inspire strong emotions in the reader or listener.

 

Find Me

Kiyoshi Hayashi (He / Him / His)
Job Title: Managing Director
Address:
158 Brookline St
2
Cambridge, MA 02139

Social Media:

About

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2019

Overview

Institution/Business Type:

Performing Group

Legal Status:

Commercial / For profit - Sole proprietorship

Year Founded:

2019

Disciplines

Primary Discipline:

Music - Chamber

Activities and Services

Activities and Services:

  • Arts for Social Change / Creative Activism
  • Creation of a Work of Art (Including Commissions)
  • Residency - In School
  • Workshops / Demonstrations / Master Class
  • Performance / Concert / Reading
  • Wedding / Parties / Private Gatherings
Seasons Active: spring, summer, fall, winter
Events Per Year: 70

Communities

Populations Engaged:

  • Adults
  • Elders
  • General Public
  • School Groups
  • Nonprofits
  • Businesses

Languages Available:

  • English

Geographic Reach:

  • National

Media Gallery

I Have Worked With

Affiliations and Accomplishments

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Education Residency with Rockport Music, 2023, 2021, Rockport, MA
  • Ensemble in Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy, 2022 - 2023, Exeter, NH
  • Education Residency with Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, 2022, Highlands, NC
  • Semester-long Educational Residency with Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, 2021, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
  • Teaching Residency with the Royal Conservatory of Music, 2021, Toronto, CA

Professional Associations

Professional Associations:

  • Education Residency with Rockport Music, 2023, 2021, Rockport, MA
  • Ensemble in Residence at Phillips Exeter Academy, 2022 - 2023, Exeter, NH
  • Education Residency with Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, 2022, Highlands, NC
  • Semester-long Educational Residency with Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, 2021, Martha’s Vineyard, MA
  • Teaching Residency with the Royal Conservatory of Music, 2021, Toronto, CA

Awards

Awards:

  • Participation in the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, 2023, Osaka, Japan
  • Special Recognition Award, Plowman Chamber Music Competition, 2023, Columbia, MO
  • 1st Place, Associazione Europea Di Musica E Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition 2022, Italy
  • Emerging Artist Award, St. Botolph Club Foundation, 2022, Boston, MA
  • 1st Place, Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition, 2021, ATL
  • 1st Place, Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, 2020, Yellow Springs, OH

Education

Education:

  • Christopher Rex String Institute at Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival - Quartet in Residence, 2024
  • Ensemble in Residence at Avaloch Farms Music Institute, 2022 - 2023, Boscawen, NH
  • Members are graduates of the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music, and Yale University

Artist Info

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • 4 Armless Chairs

Fee Range:

$2000 per concert.

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

4

Maximum Number of Performers:

4

Touring Artist

NEST Eligible Artist

Technical Requirements:

  • 4 Armless Chairs

Fee Range:

$2000 per concert.

State of Residence:

Massachusetts

Minimum Number of Performers:

4

Maximum Number of Performers:

4