2011 Tour
The Tetra Quartet
The Music Bus Tour is proud that the Tetra Quartet was our 2011 ensemble-in-residence! Their tour itinerary is below:
- The Alamo
San Antonio, Texas
Tuesday, May 24, 2011, 10 a.m. - The Alamo
San Antonio, Texas
Wednesday, May 25, 2011, 3 p.m. - Art Museum of Southeast Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Thursday, May 26, 2011, 12 p.m. - Angus Grill Brazilian Steakhouse
Houston, Texas
Friday, May 27, 2011, 7:30 p.m. - Prison Entrepreneur Program
Cleveland, Texas
Saturday, May 28, 2011, 12 p.m. - Strings On Tap at the Gingerman Pub
Houston, Texas
Saturday, May 28, 2011, 4 p.m. - Crain Garden, Methodist Hospital
Houston, Texas
Wednesday, June 1, 2011, 12:15 p.m. - Knowledge is Power Program
Houston, Texas
Thursday, June 2, 2011, 6:30 p.m. - Te House of Tea
Houston, Texas
Friday, June 3, 7:30 p.m. - Mozart’s Coffee Roasters
Austin, Texas
Saturday, June 4, 8:30 p.m.
Tetra is a string quartet founded by four young professional musicians who teach and perform in the Phoenix community. Recognizing that chamber music was once an intimate musical gathering among friends, Tetra aims to revive this experience for the public by presenting fun, inspiring, and educational concerts in a wide variety of venues. From classrooms, to coffee shops, to concert halls, Tetra strives to in infuse life into the community through chamber music.
Chrystal, Heidi, Jenna and Louis formed Tetra in 2009, and since then have been working to create a musical presence in Arizona.. Tetra has performed at the Musical Instrument Museum, The Tempe Marketplace Night Gallery, Phoenix College, ASU’s Newman Center, Katzin Concert Hall, and the Lied Center for Performing Arts (Lincoln, Nebraska). In an effort to continually grow as an ensemble, Tetra has had the privilege to receive guidance from members of the Chiara, Arianna, Orion, and Vermeer String Quartets.
In the Spring of 2011, Tetra was asked to join the Faculty of Arizona State University as the new “Quartet in Residency”. This opportunity has allowed Tetra to not only perform, but also teach college students performance techniques, and help them know the ins and outs of forming a new professional ensemble. The quartet has also developed “Tetra Time”, a program that uses music as a tool to support the work that is happening in the classroom. Recently, the quartet was invited to given an open rehearsal and workshop for students at Arizona School for the Arts. Every member of Tetra also teaches privately, some members working in conjunction with Rosie’s House (a local music school for underprivileged youth).
In early 2011, Tetra participated in the 6th Annual Santa Catarina Music Festival (FEMUSC), where they had the opportunity to give a wide variety of performances and presentations throughout the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Tetra is also a recent addition to the Arizona Commission on the Arts Teaching Artist’s roster and recently appeared on the TWIP (Train Wreck In Progress) podcast in December 2010.
The Musicians of the Tetra Quartet
Click on each artist’s picture for more information.
Chrystal Smothers
Heidi Wright
Jenna Dalbey
Louis Privitera
Chrystal Smothers, violin
For Chrystal Smothers, the seeds of chamber music were planted early — as a founding member of the Etcetera String Quartet during her eighth grade year. Her development as a violinist continued as she went on to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in violin performance: first at Ohio University with Stephen Boe and later at Arizona State University with Danwen Jiang.
An enthusiastic teacher, Chrystal maintains a bustling private studio that spans the greater Phoenix Metropolitan area. She is also on faculty at Rosie’s House, A Music Academy for Children.
As a performer, Chrystal made her international solo debut in Salzburg, Austria with the San Diego Civic Youth Orchestra on their 1998 European tour. Additionally, she has participated in workshops and masterclasses with Arnold Steinhardt and the Julliard, Shanghai, Brentano, and Chiara String Quartets. Chrystal considers herself a well-rounded person due in part to the wide variety of odd jobs she has accumulated over the past ten years. These jobs include bagel baking, flower delivery services, telemarketing, hostessing, retail, and a few brief appearances within the fast food industry. She would like to thank her family for their unfailing love and support.
Heidi Wright, violin
Heidi Wright is a native of Mesa, Arizona, where she falls second in a family of ten children. She feels so blessed to be near her family, teaching and performing chamber music in her community. Heidi discovered a love for music at an early age as she and her brothers made the weekly trek to the neighbor’s house for piano lessons. She began playing the violin soon after and eventually joined the school harp program as well.
She has earned degrees from all the Arizona Universities including master’s degrees in performance, pedagogy, and education. She studied violin with Louise Scott, Mark Rush, and Danwen Jiang, and harp with Carrol McLaughlin and Lynne Aspnes. She has performed with major orchestras throughout Arizona, and has participated in several summer music festivals across the country. She was not far into her education before she realized her inclination towards string quartet playing. She is grateful for the opportunities she has had to study with the Tokyo, Shanghai, St Lawrence, and Chiara string quartets.
Heidi has a strong passion for teaching and has taught in Suzuki schools, community music programs, and public schools all over Arizona for the last 8 years. A closet math geek, she spent a year teaching junior high students Geometry and Algebra. Currently, she enjoys teaching private harp and violin lessons and performing and teaching with the Tetra String Quartet.
Louis Privitera, viola
Known for his versatility as a violist, Louis Privitera maintains a balanced career as both a chamber musician and educator. Having grown up in Phoenix, Louis attended Arizona State University where he completed a Bachelor’s degree in viola performance. Upon graduating, Louis flew the Phoenix coop and made his way to Baltimore, Maryland where he earned a Master’s in performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music in 2010. Louis remained in high demand as a performer in both Arizona and Maryland, having played with The Phoenix Symphony, Phoenix Opera, The Mid-Atlantic Symphony and the Bel Cantanti Opera orchestra. Additionally, Louis had the opportunity to publish an article for the Summer 2006 American Viola Society Journal, recounting his experience at the 34th International Viola Congress in Montreal, Canada.
As a member of the tetra string quartet, Louis is getting the incredible opportunity to fuse his two passions: education and chamber music. Louis currently maintains a private studio and is the Instructor of Viola Studies at Arizona School for the Arts. With tetra, Louis is also given the chance to further connect with students through their outreach program in elementary school classrooms throughout the Phoenix area. As a chamber musician, Louis has attended a variety of music festivals, including the UNL Chamber Music Institute, Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival, and the Zephyr Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy. Louis has also participated in masterclasses and workshops with the Chiara, Brentano, St. Lawrence, and Juilliard String Quartets.
In true Oscar style, Louis finds it necessary to thank a few individuals who have been pivotal in carving the path towards his professional career. To his teachers, Victoria Chiang, Nancy Buck, and Cynthia Dubrow, a special thanks for instilling in him the skills necessary to be both a great violist and teacher. To his esteemed colleagues, Chrystal, Heidi, and Jenna, a big hug for not only inspiring him on a daily basis but also for allowing his dream to become a reality. And finally to his dad, a huge amount of love and gratitude for the continual support, the weekly rides to youth orchestra rehearsal, and for always making it to every performance, even to this day.
Jenna Dalbey, cello
Jenna Dalbey has been playing cello for over 15 years and is originally from Columbus, Ohio. As a member of the Tetra String Quartet, she is living her dream of playing and teaching chamber music in the community. She is currently working on her Doctorate from Arizona State University in cello performance while establishing a career as an educator and performer in the Phoenix area. She is on faculty at Scottsdale Community College, Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children, and she is a Cello Teaching Assistant at ASU. In addition, she maintains a private studio of many wonderful up and coming cellists!
While working on her Masters at the University of Maryland, she studied closely with the Guarnari String quartet and made an appearance with the Verge ensemble on the Library of Congress concert series. She has also worked with the Chiara, St. Lawrence, Kronos, and Juilliard String Quartets. She has played in masterclasses for Steven Isserlis, Bernard Greenhouse, and Joel Krosnick as well.
She is thankful for her wonderful cello teachers Thomas Landschoot, Evelyn Elsing, and Peter Wiley, all of which have supported and inspired her love for chamber music and education. Jenna would not be where she is today without the love and support of her family, her fiancé Danny, and their kitties Duke and Ocha.
