THE CURATORS OF THIS EVENT REQUIRE THAT EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE SHOW PROOF OF VACCINATION AT THE DOOR. MASKING AND CONTACT TRACING ENFORCED. SEATING IS LIMITED FOR PURPOSES OF SOCIAL DISTANCING, ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED (link at the “Buy tickets” button).

New MUSE 4tet is:

Violinist Gwen Laster

Violist Melanie Dyer

Cellist Alex Waterman

Bassist Dara Blumenthal-Bloom

Created in October 2015 and founded by Violinist/Composer Gwen Laster, New MUSE4tet is an improvising string quartet offering 20th and 21st century new works and original compositions as a vehicle for social activism. Her commissioned work "Black Lives Matter Suite" premiered shortly after the inception of the ensemble and continues to draw great audiences and critical acclaim. New MUSE4tet sheds new interpretive light on familiar works and introduces audiences to the voices of the now. The artists joining Gwen are violist Melanie Dyer, cellist Alex Waterman, and bassist Dara Blumenthal-Bloom

Laster was selected as a Sphinx Foundation MPower grant recipient to support the release of Blur Lotus.

New MUSE 4tet’s debut album Blue Lotus was released on February 26, 2021.

Gwen Laster is a nationally acclaimed musician who has been the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jubilation Foundation, Puffin Foundation, Arts Mid Hudson, Lila Wallace, and the Cognac Hennessy 1st place Jazz Search. She's a native Detroiter whose creative influences come from the Motor City's exciting urban and classical music culture. Gwen started improvising and composing because of her parent’s love of jazz, blues, soul and classical music and her inspiring music teachers from Detroit's public schools.

Laster relocated to NYC after earning two music degrees from the University of Michigan. She began collaborating, performing and recording with internationally-known creative and commercial artists including Anthony Braxton, Nona Hendryx, Aretha Franklin, Wadada Leo Smith, William Parker, Danny Elfman, Sun Ra Arkestra, Tyler the Creator, Gladys Knight, Emeline Michel, Andrea Bocelli, David Foster, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Shaggy, Andrew Baba Lamb, Natalie Cole, Solange, Mark Anthony, and J Lo and Shakira at President Obama’s Inaugural Neighborhood Ball.

Melanie Dyer is a violist who moves across free jazz, jazz, orchestral, and experimental music. She has studied with William Lincer, Lee Yeingst, John Jake Kella and Naomi Fellows. Recently she performed and recorded with William Parker, Sun Ra Arkestra, Henry Grimes, Tomeka Reid, Heroes Are Gang Leaders, New Muse 4tet, Women with an Axe to Grind, and other luminous musicians in the United States, Europe, and South Africa. She founded WeFreeStrings, a string/rhythm collective rooted in creative improvisation, and plays viola in Gwen Laster’s New Muse 4tet.

Alex Waterman is a composer, performer, producer, and scholar, exploring how social bodies can live and interact with one another in more musical ways. He has created a diverse body of works including sound installations, television operas, film and video works, exhibitions, amateur choral works, radio and film scores, and solo performances as a cellist, electronic musician and storyteller.

Dara Blumenthal-Bloom began her double bass studies with Dr. Michael Klinghoffer at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance and earned her MA at New England Conservatory with Donald Palma. She continued musical projects with Myrna Herzog’s Phoenix Ensemble where she learned violone and viola da gamba and later joined the Jerusalem Baroque Orchestra on the double bass. She later enrolled in Juilliard School’s Historical Performance Department as a bassist. She’s currently enjoying performing, recording and collaborating in NYC’s diverse musical offerings.

Bismuth Quartet (featuring Matt Engle, bass):

One of Philadelphia’s hidden gems, Bismuth Quartet takes the string quartet into new territory as performers, composers, collaborators, and improvisers. Past and future projects include cross-disciplinary collaborations, diverse programming, and performing original compositions. Equally at home playing modern, classical, experimental, and improvised music, Bismuth has performed at notable venues such as the Mann Center, Union Transfer, and the Mütter Museum, among others. The Quartet presents a unique experience to its audiences and has partnered on productions across Philadelphia performing on the Moon Viewing Platform as part of the 2019 Site/Sound Festival, playing spectral music presented by Fire Museum Presents at the Icebox Project Space, and collaboratively composing and performing scores to silent films alongside Not So Silent Cinema. Bismuth Quartet maintains active projects across the Philadelphia music scene at-large and has been featured with Jazmine Sullivan, Arcana New Music Ensemble, Philadelphia Jazz Project, indie rock bands Whitney, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, with NYC-based performer/improviser/composer Anaïs Maviel, and video artist/choreographer Nora Gibson aka CHROMA. Bismuth encourages the creation of new work and is in the midst of a commission in collaboration with composer Adam Berenson to be recorded in the fall of 2022.

Carlos Santiago – violin

Veronica Jurkiewicz – viola

Carolina Diazgranados – cello

with special guest Matt Engle – bass

Gwen Laster's New Muse 4tet & Bismuth Quartet (wsg Matt Engle)