History

Generating New Music
Each year, the Cypress String Quartet selects two works from the standard quartet repertoire and commissions (the “call”) a third work (the “response”) based on inspiration from the two older works. By integrating the new music with the familiar, Call & Response explores how newly composed music weaves older works into its sounds, while reflecting trends and ideas of current times—a new composition is born!

Connecting with Students
The resulting Call & Response program is performed in San Francisco and surrounding areas for students of all levels and background and members of the community. The few weeks before each Call & Response performance, the Cypress String Quartet performs in-class presentations attended by the composer when possible. These outreach efforts deepen students’ interest and learning of chamber music and related themes. Scholarship tickets enable many of these students to attend the public performance free of charge, thus bringing together a concert community of varied ethnicity, age, and economic background.

Reaching the Community
The outreach presentations, pre-concert lectures and other activities that surround the series bring music into the community and introduce audiences to composers’ thought processes. With this series, the Cypress String Quartet creates a public forum where a broad group of people can come together and share in the universal meaning of music. Parents, teachers, families, and students attend evening performances to witness the world premiere of the new composition.