(Above: Anthea Kreston joins the Delgani String Quartet as violinist, replacing Wyatt True, one of the founders of the troupe. Members now are, left to right: Jannie Wei, Anthea Kreston, Eric Alterman, and Kimberlee Uwate.)

By Randi Bjornstad

The Delgani String Quartet — and its audiences — no doubt will miss the presence onstage of co-founder, executive director, and violinist Wyatt True, as he steps down from his performing role with the popular ensemble to focus on the task of running the show.

“It’s not like I won’t be playing any more,” True said during a telephone interview about the Delgani changes. “I’m still teaching at my studio and at Willamette University, and I still will be playing with the quartet occasionally. It’s just that all along, being part of the quartet and being its executive executive director has been too much work for one person.”

In addition to that, the birth six months ago of their second daughter further complicated life for True and his wife, Jannie Wei, also a violinist and co-founder of the Delgani String Quartet.

“With two kids now, we decided it would be just too crazy trying to organize babysitting and rehearsals and travel to concerts — it just seemed too complicated,” True said. “And I also have a lot of other interests, and this change will free up some time for other things.”

Chief among those is rock climbing, which he has done for the past 20 years, but which is pretty incompatible with a busy musical career.

Given all that, True is even more delighted to introduce Anthea Kreston to loyal Delgani audiences in the position of first violinist.

“We had nearly a dozen applicants for the position, and we brought in two women from the East Coast, and they were very impressive people,” he said. “But when we found that Anthea Kreston was interested, we really wanted to consider her —  she has so much experience and is head-and-shoulders above all the rest. Once we spent time with her and were sure that things would jell with the quartet and her other commitments, it was an easy decision.”

Fortunately, Kreston had recently moved back to the United States from Germany, to Corvallis where she has family, so proximity will be workable, True said.

“She’s not so interested in commuting down here to do some of our educational programs, so I can probably pick up some of that,” he said. “And she can’t do our early October concerts because of other commitments, so I may fill in with those.”

Kreston also does a lot of international judging of musical performance and teaching of her own, True said. Her latest musical post was with the Artemis String Quartet in Berlin, “and that is a very famous group that performs 200 concerts a year — they are very busy.”

Not only is he excited to have Kreston onstage with violinist Wei, violist Kimberlee Uwate, and cellist Eric Alterman, True is excited to roll out the 2021-22 performance program.

“One thing that we are doing this year that is exciting is that each concert will include a piece by a living composer,” he said. One of those will be Reza Vali, an Iranian composer who is professor of composition at Carnegie Mellon University.

“When he heard we were doing one of his quartets, he said he has a friend in Salem, and would we like to have him come and do pre-concert lectures before our performances,” True said. “Of course, we said ‘yes.’ “

Like most performing groups, the pandemic pretty much upended the Delgani String Quartet’s 2020-21 season, but the need to improvise has resulted in some changes that make the group more accessible to more people going forward.

“We will be doing our concerts in person, but we also will continue to livestream them,” True said. “People who attend in person also will be able to livestream them again as part of their ticket, and others who just want to watch it on the website can buy a ticket for that option.”

Each of the Delgani String Quartet’s programs will be performed four times, once in Salem (afternoon), twice in Eugene (afternoon and evening), and once in Portland (evening). For information about specific dates, times, and ticket purchases, go online to Delgani.org.

Delgani String Quartet — the Seventh Season

Delgani I: Echoes of Song (Oct. 30-Nov. 4, 2021)

  • Cypresses by Antonin Dvorak
  • Quartet by Reza Vali
  • Folksongs by African American composer Florence Price
  • Sergei Prokofiev’s quartet inspired by Kabardinian themes

 

Delgani II: Wind in High Places (Jan. 29-Feb. 3, 2022)

  • The Wind in High Places by John Luther Adams
  • Opus 132 by Ludwig van Beethoven (Holy Song of Thanksgiving)
  • First Quartet by Benjamin Britten

 

Delgani III: Leyendas (March 26-31, 2022)

  • Early Quartet by Juan Crisóstommo Arriaga (Spain)
  • Leyendas by Gabriela Lena Frank (Peru)
  • La Oración del Torero by Joaquín Turina (Spain)
  • First Quartet by Alberto Ginastera (Argentina)

 

Delgani IV: Dance of Joy (May 21-26, 2022)

  • Quartet by Frannz Joseph Hayden
  • Third Quartet by Elena Ruehr (Her Seventh Quartet was commissioned by Delgani in 2020)
  • Quartet by Johannes Brahms