Announcing: The Spektral Quartet Values Statement

Now at the tail end of January, we remain hopeful that this year will be better than the last. 2020 was, well...YIKES. A year with so many kinds of dire circumstances is difficult to comprehend. More personally, for us it is hard to describe the devastation that has been wrought by venue closings, and the prospect that they may remain closed for much longer. So many moments this year have tried to force our hand to conceive of a future that is bleak. Artists push back by dreaming harder.

While we considered our artistic future and rallied behind the programming most essential to carry forward, we knew we also needed to reinvest in ourselves. As curators, good design requires asking good questions, and those questions need to begin at home. Over the span of the last many months we have taken time together to better understand who we are, why we continue to show up for each other, and what it is we have to give.  So today, we'd like to share the Values Statement that we've composed together under the guidance of consultant Jenn Chang, (who was recently sworn in as the White House Liaison to the National Endowment of the Arts and Senior Advisor to NEA Chief of Staff!!)

THESE are our values:

1. We will never impose limitations on our dreams for our artistry.

2. We are rebellious, inventive, and committed to creating memorable and meaningful experiences.

3. We measure our success by the strength of our social impact, the health of our organization, and the depth of our own creative fulfillment.

4. We strive to serve communities long excluded from classical music, and therefore diversity, equity, and inclusion are among the first elements we consider in our decision-making.

5. We affirm that curiosity, not expertise, is the only prerequisite for our events, and all forms of nerdery are celebrated.

6. We treat each piece as its own project and are intentional about our approach, whether it’s a Mozart quartet or a world premiere.

7. We forge long-term, interdependent connections with our audiences and collaborators.

8. We believe that engaging with other disciplines deepens our own musical engagement and purpose and forges new connections among four individual artists in a collaborative practice.

9. We owe much to the generosity of others, so we are liberal in sharing our institutional and artistic knowledge.

10. Chicago’s do-it-yourself spirit is in our ensemble’s DNA.

11. We are four distinct personalities, choosing daily to combine our individual and invaluable abilities to form a dynamic entity.

12. We acknowledge that it is our privilege to at times speak for each other and commit to always do so in a mindful way.

13. We bring our best selves to our work when we are artistically fulfilled and robust in our trust of one another.

14. We are unshakable in our support and advocacy of one another.

As our community, you deserve more than a window into our process, you deserve to understand the beliefs that shape us. These efforts are just the first part of a longer process that will include a thorough examination of our artistic priorities and administrative practices. When we see you in person on the other side, we will meet you with even more intention behind why we do what we do. Further, in putting this statement out into the world, we invite you to help us hold ourselves accountable.

We're proud of these values, and hope you will be too.

Clara (on behalf of The Spektrals)

Meet Our Exceptional Interns!

There are so many people beyond the four of us who make Spektral Quartet float and soar – people who aren’t on stage with us, but without whom being on stage wouldn’t even be a thing.

Started in the 2018/19 season, our paid internship program involves production support, concert promotion, data entry (yay!), and fundraising assistance. Benefits includes career guidance, free admission to concerts, score proofing, and opportunities to sit in on rehearsals…or head downtown and play ping pong, for instance.

We’re lucky that our roster of interns is not made up of just some board member’s nephews, but outstanding creatives in their own right. Folks who get what we’re about, aren’t afraid to get weird, and who are already making some of the most thoughtful and searing art you’re likely to encounter.

Today we celebrate them and thank them for being an essential part of our team…and tomorrow, you go seek out their shows and the beautiful things they’re making.

This year, we brought on these three outstanding humans:

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Leslie Allison (photo credit: Willow Reese)

Leslie Allison is a queer interdisciplinary composer working in music/sound, language, movement, and textiles. A graduate of the Wesleyan University Music MA program with a specialty in composition, she recently relocated to Chicago where she writes music, performs, and teaches private somatic singing and piano lessons.

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Autumn Selover

Autumn Selover is a freelance harpist, improviser, and music educator based in the Chicagoland area who is passionate about engaging artists and audiences in a dialogue of learning and crafting. An advocate of new music, she has performed with groups such as Fifth House Ensemble and the Chicago Composers Orchestra, is a member of the conductorless orchestra, Unsupervised, and co-founded the improv-based Sonder Trio and genre-hopping deaf rabbit duo. Autumn is an associate of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and recently received her M.M. in Harp Performance from Northwestern University, studying with Lynn Williams and Liz Cifani. 

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Nick Zoulek

The Wall Street Journal writes, “…Dr. Zoulek’s performance, on saxophones in every range, is stunningly virtuosic, whatever the genre… None of that would matter much (except to saxophonists) if Dr. Zoulek were a less imaginative composer.” His influence on the fields of contemporary music has added color, energy, and light to the enigmatic world of the saxophone.  An artist of “pure mindfulness and talent” (PopMatters), Nick’s craft encompasses solo performance, composition, videography, improvisation, and commissioning new works. All facets of his work can be seen on his 2016 project Rushing Past Willow (Innova Records).