We were lucky to catch up with Allante String Quartet recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Allante thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I think being a creative is such a happy and freeing adventure. I truly love it and I am very happy where I am. As a string quartet, we find satisfaction and joy in our creative lives even in tiny rehearsal spots that we have worked hard to get ensemble together, or in a moment of music when the melody connects between two instruments. We love to search for repertoire and we burst out in excitement when we think a musical theme is asking for more connection between players. There is so much gratification in the journey of creating together as we make something that everyone can enjoy. The actual creation is why we play, not necessarily the pay.

Although, that’s where having a regular job might be nice. Yes, we often dream about what it would be like to be paid for all of those rehearsal hours. Yes, we also wonder what it would be like to have a regular job. Maybe one that doesn’t have an unpredictable schedule, or a job where you get paid to think about projects just because you are on the clock. Or having a supervisor that makes sure that we show up to work on time, or assigns us tasks to do. A lot of time and effort goes into preparation for a performance, with unpredictable monetary benefit out of it. But honestly, we have so much fun and are just happy to be up on stage playing what we love! I believe we get to have so much more fun and are free to change the flow of our work life with our home life. We also get to be a part of something that isn’t a task! Music is such a pleasure and we get to make it and enjoy it.

-Kristi Jenkins, violin

Allante , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello Utah, We are Allante String Quartet! Our professional music ensemble consists of Bonnie Whetten and Kristi Jenkins playing violin, Allison Taylor playing viola, and myself, Rachel Burton, playing the cello. As the cellist of the string quartet, my job is to maintain the baseline. The baseline is the lowest note in each musical structure. Just as the bottom of the mountain isn’t the most thrilling, it is the foundation. I find it quite a coincidence that I am the person who ignited the spark that started this string quartet. I do not consider myself a leader or someone who enjoys steering decisions. However, I have a burning passion for chamber music and specifically, this string quartet!

I attribute all my knowledge and love for chamber music to my experiences in my undergraduate studies at Utah State University. The quartet in residency, The Fry Street Quartet, is an ensemble of musical masters that are just as brilliant on their instrument as they are respected professors. They showed me through example and countless performances that chamber music is the treasure that many miss out on.  After my undergraduate studies I found myself longing for this same drive in other forms of my life. Many of my colleagues at USU started their own ensembles or joined groups in their graduate studies. And after leaping around in a few different groups myself, I decided to start a string quartet in Utah County. I thought it was such a tragedy that Utah County didn’t have a string ensemble of professional caliber that offered concerts, especially because this area is rich with artistic activity and respect!

Finding these amazing musical colleagues was no easy task. If you could go back in time and tell me that I would get the privilege of playing with all three of them, I would be shocked and starstruck! Our rehearsals are riveting, inspiring, and overall so much fun. We get to contribute, converse, conflict and experiment to create a newly unique interpretation of the music that is completely our own! And within this framework we set a date to perform and share the living experience with an audience.

I think one of the most special attributes of our ensemble is that we attend weekly lengthy rehearsals and perform twice annually with no financial compensation. Not only does this require passion, but the commitment is very difficult considering that we each have families of our own, children to care for, and musical careers to maintain. I’m so proud of the fact that our ensemble has been active for more than six years! This is a feat that leaves us incomparable to all other string quartets in Salt Lake County. The consistent time we dedicate to Allante creates a phenomenal blended sound. I dare you to attend a concert and see for yourself.

Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram to access our starving-artist marketing for our intimate house concerts. The concerts are free of charge but I can’t guarantee it will stay that way much longer! We have our gaze set to expand our performances and share chamber music with Utah County for years to come.

Rachel Burton, cello.

Have you ever had to pivot?

When you play in a string quartet, setting short term goals happens almost automatically. As performers, our primary goal is preparing for our next performance. We select repertoire, plan a concert date a few months out, and schedule our lives and practice sessions accordingly. Over the next few months, we focus all our efforts on this goal. When concert day comes, we reap the fruits of our efforts with gorgeous musical passages that enchant our audiences. The following week, we begin the cycle anew.

Because of the exciting and demanding nature of these concert preparations, we’ve found it difficult to think in long-term goals beyond our next concert. Over the past year as we’ve discussed our quartet mission, we’ve realized that we have loftier goals than performing house concerts for classical music enthusiasts or accompanying wedding ceremonies. We want to help our community experience a variety of musical styles through professional performances. In order to achieve this goal, we’ve pivoted our focus away from advertising for wedding gigs. Instead we’ve spent our efforts making connections in our community and expanding our influence.  We’ve collaborated with other ensembles, performed at community events, and are currently working on creating a variety of online musical content. We’re excited about this shift. We think and hope this will allow us to share beautiful music in our community while remaining true to our identity as professional music artists.

-Allison Taylor, viola

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

One of the best things about being an artist is getting to be your own boss! And I think most artists and creatives would agree with me. To get to do what I love, to practice and hone my skills. It is so satisfying to work hard and create something of my own that has meaning and beauty, and send it out into the world.

Playing in the Allante String Quartet however, takes it all one step further. It’s not just me anymore, I get to team up with three more boss babes in fantastic collaboration! I love performing in this type of group dynamic. For me, it is the perfect combination of being a soloist and an entrepreneur, yet adding my voice to something bigger than myself. These ladies keep me accountable to practice and to sound good and to pull my weight. We share ideas, and challenge them too. We push each other. We work though problems together. We craft divine musical moments together. And, the longer we play together as a group, the better we sound! It’s not just four musicians playing at the same time anymore. The Quartet has a life and a sound of its own. It is a truly rewarding experience that not every creative profession gets to share.

-Bonnie Whetten, violin

Contact Info:

• Website: allantestringquartet.com
• Instagram: @allantestringquartet
• Facebook: Allante String Quartet
• Youtube: Allante String Quartet

Image Credits
Jessica Hancock