Thanks to a “Just Play” grant from ACMP, the Tarka String Quartet—Sue Soong and me on violin, Kevin Jim on viola, and Angus Davol on cello—recently shared a program in San Diego that reflected our passions: exploring new voices by women composers alongside the great works of the quartet tradition.

We opened with Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, a joyful, energetic piece that we hope is as exciting to hear as it is to play! Next was Elena Kats-Chernin’s From Anna Magdalena’s Notebook, a witty and lyrical set of Baroque-inspired miniatures that let us bring out our playful side.

The heart of the program was Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 131—his last string quartet, and the one he considered his favorite. We wanted to take on a challenge—and we got what we asked for! While we could work on it for years, having the chance to study and perform it was a dream come true.

Our quartet formed in 2022 after discovering how much we enjoyed (and survived) playing Gabriela Lena Frank’s Leyendas together—we took our name, “Tarka,” from the Andean flute featured in that piece. Since then, we’ve made it a tradition to include at least one work by a woman composer on every program we play. We’ve also felt so fortunate to be supported by ACMP’s generosity for each of our programs.

Ours is a bit of a long-distance relationship—Kevin, Sue, and Angus are in the Bay Area, and I’m in San Diego—so we’ve learned to be efficient when we get together. We often rehearse intensively over a weekend, and while we work hard to improve our music, we also deeply value the opportunity to enjoy each other’s company and to be kind to one another.

This year, we were also lucky to receive an ACMP Home Coaching grant, which gave us a wonderful session with Andy Luchansky that heightened our ensemble and deepened our appreciation of the Beethoven.

We’re grateful to ACMP for helping make this concert possible. Please join us for the Bay Area version on Saturday, October 18, at 7:30 pm at Bethany United Methodist Church in San Francisco (admission is free)!

Here is a teaser – an excerpt from Jessie Montgomery’s Strum: