Sqwonk & Real Vocal String Quartet

This concert presents two ensembles that are radically expanding the repertoire of their instrumentation and re-defining what constitutes chamber music. Sqwonk, the world’s only active bass clarinet duo, has created a completely new repertoire of bass clarinet duets by commissioning works from composers that draw on classical music and a wide range of other contemporary genres, from jazz to heavy metal to klezmer. The Real Vocal String Quartet, though working in a medium with a long and rich classical tradition, has developed its own unique sound and repertoire by creating arrangements and original compositions that combine classical techniques with influences from Bluegrass and other folk genres, as well as the sounds of their own voices. These two ensembles, though sounding quite different from one another, offer a similarly generous and expansive approach to what constitutes chamber music today.