HSQ, Rausch to Find Beautiful Music in Noisome World of Politics

Copy by Chip Chandler, 806-651-2124, cchandler@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas — Politics is often—and fairly—described as “noisy.”

But West Texas A&M University’s Grammy Award-nominated Harrington String Quartet will see if they can find harmony between political science and music in the final concert of its 2022-23 season.

As the conclusion of HSQ’s “Synergy in G” season, the quartet is teaming with Dr. Dave Rausch, WT’s Teel Bivins Professor of Political Science, to explore the similarities between musical interpretation and constitutional interpretation.

“Interpreting documents is a skill that scholars and musicians share in the daily pursuits of their professions,” said Rossitza Goza, HSQ first violinist and Harrington Lecturer in Violin in WT’s School of Music. “The physical score of a piece of music is its constitution, and through this collaboration, we’ll have the opportunity to highlight the analogies and contrasts between reading a musical constitution and a political one.”

Rausch and the quartet will speak and offer a demonstration during a 7:30 p.m. April 26 lecture in Mary Moody Northen Recital Hall on WT’s Canyon campus. Admission is free.

“Since I’m not as familiar with music interpretation—i.e., I know what I like—I will look at the numerous ways lawyers, legal scholars and judges interpret the Constitution,” Rausch said. “For simplicity’s sake, I will focus on the United States Constitution. We also will look at what the audience believes is the most appropriate way to interpret the Constitution.”

Then, the quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 28, also in Northen Recital Hall. Tickets are $20 for the public or free for WT faculty, staff and students with a Buff Gold card.

The quartet will perform Florence Price’s String Quartet No. 1, Zoltán Kodály’s String Quartet No. 2 and Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16, Opus 135, the composer’s final major work, which includes a movement packed with rhythmic trickery.

“Beethoven’s composition is rife with material on the subject of interpretation, as the very rhythm of the piece is left up in the air. When such a vital ingredient of the music is undetermined, how does one go about creating a harmonious performance?” Goza said. “And because the Price and the Kodály works are considerably lesser known than the Beethoven, they also present very different interpretative challenges.”

Tickets will be available at showtix4u.com, in the School of Music office or at the door. For information, call 806-651-2840.

The quartet also includes Evgeny Zvonnikov, violin; Vesselin Todorov, viola; and Emmanuel Lopez, cello. Each are lecturers in the School of Music, as well; Lopez also is a Periman Distinguished Artist.

HSQ was established by a generous gift from the late Sybil B. Harrington to benefit the Panhandle community. From its founding in 1981, the quartet has brought stellar credentials and a refined sense of ensemble and musical integrity to performances across the nation and internationally.

HSQ’s collaborative recording with the Phoenix Chorale, “Northern Lights,” was distinguished as iTunes’s Best Classical Vocal Album of 2012. In 2005, the quartet also released a Grammy-nominated album of works by American composer Daniel McCarthy on the Albany Records label.

Fostering an appreciation of the arts is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2021 — has raised more than $120 million.

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. WT, a Hispanic Serving Institution since 2016, boasts an enrollment of about 10,000 and offers 59 undergraduate degree programs and more than 40 graduate degrees, including two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 14 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WT—