Carpe Diem String Quartet to perform

Performance opens season for association

The Carpe Diem String Quartet is set to preform at Crescent Elk Auditorium on Oct. 18. Submitted

Defying classification, the quartet based in Columbus, Ohio, has earned critical acclaim for its genre-busting concerts.  The quartet is committed to changing the concert experience of chamber music by playing gypsy, tango, folk, pop and jazz pieces, in addition to the classic quartet repertoire.

Using innovative programming, thematic concerts, and popular music for younger generations, cameras and video to assist in the visual presentation, as well as speaking from the stage to better engage the audience, Carpe Diem is bringing new audiences into the concert hall and revitalizing the chamber music experience. 

A native of Buffalo, N.Y., Violinist Charles Wetherbee  gave his first performances at age 6.  He made his debut with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra under Symon Bychkov, and since then has performed with many orchestras in the U.S. and other countries.

In 1988, he toured Asia, including performances in Seoul, Korea, as part of the 1988 Olympic Arts Festival. In the same year he also made his New York debut at Carnegie Hall to critical acclaim.  In 1990, he traveled to the Persian Gulf to perform for the men and women of the armed services. Wetherbee is a founding member of the Carpe Diem String Quartet, with whom he tours and performs regularly. He is on faculty at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Violinist John Ewing is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music, where he studied with Ruggiero Ricci and James Buswell. Upon graduation from Indiana University, Ewing moved to Brisbane, Australia, where he was the associate concertmaster of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. Prior to joining Carpe Diem, he held the position of principal second violinist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Montana native Korine Fujiwara holds degrees from The Juilliard School and Northwestern University. A founding member of the Carpe Diem String Quartet, Fujiwara is a gifted composer and arranger. She has been a member of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra since 2001, and prior to that, was a principal player and soloist with ProMusica Chamber Orchestra.

Cellist Kristin Ostling comes to the Carpe Diem String Quartet as a veteran of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Ostling is a graduate of both the Curtis Institute of Music and the Mannes College of Music. She is enjoying a varied career as chamber musician, soloist, symphony cellist, and rock musician. She has served as principal cellist with the Emmy-winning Baltimore Choral Arts Society since 2002.

In addition to playing the traditional classical repertoire, Ewing is also one of a handful of cellists exploring the genre of rock cello.  She can be heard on the Rock Album Southern Barber Supply by the Cashmere Jungle Lords, and recently joined the rock cello band Primitivity, whose first album was greeted with rave reviews.

Tuesday night’s concert will include pieces by Mendelssohn, Piazzolla, and two contemporary composers.