The Castalia String Quartet is named for the Greek nymph Castalia, who evaded Apollo’s pursuits by diving into a spring. The spring became sacred to the Muses and was a source of poetic inspiration for all who drank from it. Like the Castalian spring’s mythical visitors, the Castalia String Quartet is dedicated to seeking the sources of inspiration that flow through every musical composition.
Formed in 2019 by violinists Uli Speth and Debrah Devine, violist Amy Tompkins, and cellist Ruth Berry (Uli, Debrah, and Ruth are also known to Philharmonic audiences for their contributions to the orchestra), the group performs throughout the upper Catskills, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, Central, and Southern Tier regions of New York State.
On Sunday, February 11, at 3pm, the Castalia String Quartet appears in the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra’s Phelps Mansion Museum Series with a unique mix of music by American composers from underrepresented groups, and composers inspired by music from the margins. The program includes the exquisite Lyric for Strings by George Walker, the first African American composer to win a Pulitzer Prize (listen below); Two Sketches for String Quartet Based on Native American Themes by Elmira native Charles Tomlinson Griffes, and the haunting At the Purchaser’s Option by Grammy-winning musician and Artistic Director of Silkroad, Rhiannon Giddens.
Don’t miss this inspiring performance of great music from the American tradition, performed in the intimate setting of one of Binghamton’s great houses! Tickets are $25 general seating, and a cash bar will be provided by the Phelps Mansion Museum.