A Love Letter to the Queer Community Poiesis Quartet

Poiesis Quartet Champions QTPOC Voices: Expanding the String Quartet Canon with Bold New Works

This project features five 10-minute works from emerging QTPOC (Queer & Trans People of Color) composers who are students or alumni of Oberlin College & Conservatory. Entirely commissioned by the Poiesis Quartet, this impact-driven program aims to expand the string quartet canon with the artistic stories of diverse artists, centering the vast knowledge and approaches to music-making by the intersection of QTPOC that are too often unheard. According to the Institute for Composer Diversity’s 2024 Orchestra Repertoire Report, works by living Women and Nonbinary composers of color are only programmed 4.1% of the time. As such, this project presents an important opportunity for artists and audiences everywhere to challenge norms in classical music, and experience vibrant, engaging, and beautiful music from non-traditional perspectives.

As a quartet made up of queer- and trans-identifying Oberlin alumni, this project is our love letter to the wonderful queer community at Oberlin that raised us, and to spotlight voices that are not traditionally represented in chamber music. The music on this program explores several aspects of interdisciplinary art, the blend of non-Western musical forms and structures, political commentary, and improvisatory sound-making. More detailed information, including program notes, composer biographies, possible visual art components, and potential premiere dates are available upon request. If applicable, opportunities such as pre-concert talks with some artists / composers may be possible.