Try something melodious this Valentine’s Day. Bring your sweetheart, friends, or family to hear the fun, lively music of Rasa String Quartet at Bay Chamber, an award-winning ensemble that explores the space where classical and folk music meet. There will be sweets for the sweet: chocolates on tables with cookies and coffee served before the 1 p.m. concert.

Rasa’s program, “Journey & Transformation,” includes William Grant Still’s Prince and the Mermaid Suite, a lively Haydn quartet, and a Korean lullaby among other delights, according to Bay Chamber, in a news release. The Boston-based quartet, which has collaborated with Judy Collins and won musical competitions across the globe, is known for delivering fresh, engaging performances that celebrate global traditions.

Those with an eye to Valentine’s Day should know that Rasa’s concerts are also about love, said Bay Chamber.

“We aim to infuse the relaxed atmosphere, lively banter, and storytelling aspects of a folk show in the classical concert experience," says Kiyoshi Hayashi, Rasa violist/violinist. "We always say clapping, hollering, and general giving of love and energy at any point in the show is much appreciated and will be reciprocated.” 

The term Rasa, in Sanskrit, conveys the power of art to evoke indescribable emotions. And Rasa String Quartet offers a feast for the ears.

“In a single performance, you might hear a rock classic transition into a Haydn string quartet followed by a Korean folk song, wrapping up with a lively Celtic fiddle tune,” Hayashi says.

Rasa, which also includes violinists Emma Kondo Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, and cellist Mina Kim, is the winner of several major chamber music awards, including the 2022 Associazione Europea di Musica e Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition, and the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition.

TICKETS: Age 35+: $32 | 22-34: $20 | 21 & Under: Pay What You Wish. 

Bay Chamber Concerts & Music School is a nationally acclaimed chamber music organization and a cultural hub in Midcoast Maine. Bay Chamber presents more than 50 concerts each year by top musicians from the US and abroad, including traditional chamber music ensembles, soloists, and small groups from diverse traditions. The music school is a center of excellence staffed by experienced, dedicated instructors with advanced music degrees. Most continue to perform professionally. More than 350 students participate in lessons and ensemble classes.