MARANATHA BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

The first ever performance of the 414 String Quartet at Maranatha Baptist University took place recently in Burckart Hall. Many of the attendees had only the highest praise for the concert, and the performers themselves indicated that they enjoyed the experience of playing together immensely.

The 414 String Quartet was formed last year by violinists Alex Ayers and Paul Hauer, and cellist Peter Thomas, all current members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. Hauer and Thomas had both been invited by Maranatha’s string teacher and orchestra director, Lewis Rosove, to be guests for the String Repertoire class on campus multiple times.

Rosove, who sat as assistant principal violist for 22 years in the MSO, and Hauer birthed the idea of doing a recital at MBU with the 414 Quartet and Rosove as the guest violist. Says Hauer, “I noticed that Lewis had been doing a lot of teaching, and that his students at MBU might not realize how great of a violist he really is. Nothing inspires students to practice like great playing.”

Sophomore piano major Emily K. concurs, noting that the high quality of the music in the concert immediately influenced her practicing, their musicality inspiring her to pursue the same level of musicality in her own playing.

The group performed Schubert’s Quartettsatz, Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4 by Beethoven, and Brahms’ Quartet #3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67. The Brahms quartet was a special favorite of Mr. Rosove’s because of the third movement, where the spotlight falls squarely on the viola part. Rosove remarked that the music all came together very quickly as a result of the mutual respect and love for music between the members of the quartet.

Ayers, the quartet’s first violinist, pointed out that the ability to see the communication is one of the benefits of having live concerts, as opposed to just listening to recordings. The interaction between the musicians was certainly on display during the concert. Dr. Phil Gingery, who has performed vocal concerts at MBU in the past, attended the recital. He commented, “The 414 Quartet was communicating with each other and the audience was drawn into the conversation. It made it a delightful and fulfilling experience.”

A guest from out of town remarked that, in their mind, the most captivating aspect of the performance was the way the ensemble communicated with each other. Music major Lorraine Yant agreed. “From the first note, I noticed the ensemble’s unity.”

Overall, the concert was a great experience for all involved. Cellist Peter Thomas commented that the audience was amazing.  “Many of them hadn’t heard a string quartet ever (or in many years),” he said, “so bringing this program to Watertown, WI was a real treat for them.” Mr. Rosove, too, enjoyed the audience, but the response from the quartet after the recital also thrilled him. “What I did not expect was the feedback from my colleagues,” he said. “They want to put together another program at Maranatha in the future. That spoke volumes to me!” MBU eagerly awaits the next performance of the 414 Quartet on its campus.

The full video of the recital can be found below.