And Nobody Gets Everything Right With The Rhythm Method

Praised as “fierce, fearless, and virtuosic… unapologetically stylistically omnivorous and versatile” (New Music Box) and “trailblazing…skillful composer-performers” (The New Yorker), The Rhythm Method string quartet strives to re-imagine the string quartet in a contemporary, feminist context. In this performance, the quartet will present a program of music by contemporary Scandinavian composers Kristin Bolstad and Ole-Henrik Moe (Norway); 19th-century Swedish composer Amanda Erika Maier-Röntgen; and The Rhythm Method violinist Leah Asher.

From the complexity of Moe, to the raucous theatricality of Bolstad and energetic intensity of Asher, the contemporary works on this program explore rich and spellbinding sound worlds, and complement Maier-Röntgen’s inspiring string quartet from the Romantic era.

“The American avant garde has a long and sometimes painfully precious tradition of art strictly for art’s sake – and this all-female quartet seem hell-bent on changing that.” —New York Music Daily

The four performer-composers of The Rhythm Method continually expand their sonic and expressive palette through the use of graphic notation, vocalization, improvisation, and performance. Their recent programming has included numerous premieres by their own members, as well as newer works/premieres by Tonia Ko, Lewis Nielson, Dai Fujikura, Andrew Norman, and other living composers, sound artists, and songwriters.

The Rhythm Method has performed at venues including Joe’s Pub, The Stone, the Met Museum, the Noguchi Museum, and Roulette, and has been featured on the String Orchestra of Brooklyn’s String Theories Festival, MATA Festival, Music Mondays, and the Austrian Cultural Forum’s Moving Sounds Festival. The group has recently completed residencies at the Zurich University for Art and Music and Bowling Green State University’s College of Musical Arts, and has performed internationally in France, Austria, and Switzerland.

This season marks the official kickoff of the quartet’s Hidden Mothers Project, an initiative highlighting works by historical women composers. It will also bring the second installment of Broad Statements, a celebration of creative music-making by women in a wide array of artistic styles. The Rhythm Method’s recording of “Silence Seeking Solace” (with soprano Alice Teyssier) was recently featured on Dai Fujikura’s “Chance Monsoon” (SONY Japan), and the quartet is prominently featured on cellist Meaghan Burke’s album “Creature Comforts.” The Rhythm Method is slated to release its debut album, featuring new works by Leah Asher and Marina Kifferstein, on SCRIPTS Records in 2019.

From Scandinavia House.