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Invoke

The quartet invoke is much more than a traditional string quartet both in instrumentation and in music. Most of what the group performs is original, often created by the members themselves or commissioned for any combination of their violin, viola, cello, banjo, and mandolin instruments or their voices. You might even hear a dulcimer or toy piano when it performs. The results range from the energetic, rustic sound of Americana to creative minimalism and beyond, created in the way of an expert storyteller. Invoke was formed by Karl Mitze (viola, mandolin), Geoff Manyin (cello), Zach Matteson (violin), and Nick Montopoli (violin, banjo) while they were students at the University of Maryland. Their first concert as invoke occurred in 2014. The group quickly impressed listeners with traditional string quartet repertoire from composers such as Felix Mendelssohn and Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, but also dipped into the waters of more contemporary literature like Peter Schickele's String Quartet No. 1 "American Dreams." These were combined with new music, as the four began exploring their own compositional voices, often switching instruments in the course of a piece. As time has passed, it has favored new music almost exclusively for its performances and recordings. The quartet's first album, Souls in the Mud, was released in 2015. Its sound on the album is greatly influenced by Appalachian folk music, but the musicians add a narrative quality to folk-like melodies, shaping different characters and moods. This unique combination of instruments, harmonious storytelling, and well-trained performance skills appeals to a wide audience, and the group has been resident artist at several festivals and institutions. Between 2016 and 2018, invoke was Young Professional String Quartet in Residence at the University of Texas at Austin, and has also been resident artist at Strathmore in Maryland and Emerging Young Artist Quartet at Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. It has also performed with other artists ranging from the Ensō Quartet to the indie rock band San Fermin to rapper Christylez Bacon and jazz/soul singer Rochelle Rice. Furious Creek, invoke's second album, was released in 2018, and that same year, the quartet won first prize at the University of Michigan's M-Prize International Chamber Arts competition and at the Coltman Competition in Austin. The next year the members took on a unique project: compose and premiere an entirely new score for the 1973 animated film Fantastic Planet. The original soundtrack, both the music and the dialogue, were stripped from the film so it could be presented as a silent film with accompanying music. Since then, it has done similar film music projects. Invoke also began a commissioning project called "American Postcards," in which composers were asked to use the members' talents to tell the story of the composer's choice of a time and place from America's history.
© Patsy Morita /TiVo
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Discography

18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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