To our friends and community:
It is with a mixture of gratitude and sadness that we announce that this concert season will be our last together.
Playing in a string quartet is a special sort of alchemy. Four people, shaped by divergent histories, come together to perform in intricate synchronicity, create moments of profound emotion, and reflect and interpret the stories of different times and cultures through music.
Over time, we’ve come to realize that our paths are leading us in different directions. As one might imagine, the factors are complex and numerous. We believe that given our circumstances, this is the best decision for the four of us, and therefore also for Spektral.
Over the past 11 years, we have endeavored to become more than your friendly neighborhood string quartet. We believe in art-making as a form of building community, and have tried to put this into practice with a seriousness of purpose and a welcoming embrace, and always with a side of whimsy. We recognize just how fortunate we are to have pursued such meaningful projects and contributed to the cultural fabric of our great city of Chicago with the artistic, financial, and moral support of so many of you. And so we wish to express our profound gratitude.
Thank you to our many collaborators. We have learned so much from you all, and have had a crazy amount of fun along the way.
Thank you to our board of directors, our management team, our staff member Alyssa, and our interns. The gift of your unwavering advocacy and your work behind the scenes have supported our vision at every step.
Thank you to our members and donors. You made it possible for us to dream big and create all of this. We are so proud of our body of work, and we hope you are, too.
And thank you to all our listeners and audience members. This has never been a one-way relationship. You’ve shown up, taken risks, and shared your selves with us. It is truly humbling.
This might sound like goodbye, but let us assure you it is not! We have so much music left to share with you this season – live concerts, world premieres, and recording projects yet to be announced – and we want you to be there to hear it all and celebrate with us from now until the end. It is our sincere hope that our friendships with each of you endure long into the future.
With gratitude,
Russ & Maeve & Clara & Doyle