Shelter Island Friends of Music presents string ensemble Catalyst Quartet at Presbyterian Church
On Saturday, April 5, Shelter Island Friends of Music will host its latest free concert, offering Islanders the chance to enjoy the Catalyst Quartet, at the Presbyterian Church at 6 p.m.
Founded in 2010, the Catalyst Quartet has been praised for its “perfect ensemble unity” and “unequaled class of execution” (Lincoln Journal Star). The ensemble — Karla Donehew Perez (violin), Abi Fayette (violin), Paul Laraia (viola), and Karlos Rodriguez (cello) — seeks to redefine the classical music experience by blending technical brilliance with a deep belief in music as a tool for connection and social change.
The Catalyst Quartet has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Kennedy Center, and have collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, Imani Winds, and the Silk Road Ensemble.
A 2020 review in The New York Times described their impact: “Like all great chamber groups, the Catalyst Quartet is beautiful to watch, like a family in lively conversation at the dinner table: anticipating, interrupting, changing subjects.”
The Catalyst Quartet is also celebrated for its dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices in classical music. Their ongoing recording project, UNCOVERED, is a multi-volume series that spotlights composers of color, featuring works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Florence B. Price, William Grant Still, and George Walker.
The program for April 5 will feature a compelling mix of classical and Latin American influences, including works by Maurice Ravel, Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D’Rivera, and George Gershwin. As always, the performance is free and open to the public; donations are gratefully accepted. A reception with the artists will follow the concert.
