by Tyrah Burris

One quartet at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts looks a little different than the rest — they’re dressed the same as other quartets but its members look a little older. That’s because they are — the Left Bank Quartet is composed of four University of Maryland School of Music professors.

“There’s kind of a fun energy that spills out of the studio into our teaching,” said violinist David Salness. “We’re struggling with new notes and testing ourselves and feeling humbled by some of the stuff we’re doing, and we can relate to what [our students are] feeling.”

They became the Left Bank Quartet in 1999 after playing with a group called The Theater Chamber Players at the Kennedy Center. The four started playing songs for another group that were written for a string quartet when they discovered the joy of playing together.

Around 2000, they began playing in the concert halls at UMD — a big difference to the grand halls of the Kennedy Center.

“What’s nice about being at the University of Maryland and being on campus is that a lot more students can hear us play,” said Salness.

But the professors have to teach their students as well — which can be a challenge. 

“When you have a full-time job as a music professor it’s almost like having three jobs because you’re teaching every day, you need to find time for your own practicing, and we’re trying to find time for rehearsals for the group,” Katherine Murdock, who plays the viola, said.

Finding a time to rehearse with their busy schedules isn’t easy, violinist Sally McLain said. Cellist Eric Kutz has to travel between Maryland and Iowa to visit his family frequently, making things more difficult. 

In the midst of all that planning, the professors need to find time for self-care, Salness said.

“One thing I learned through the pandemic is that starting out with yourself, being in good shape first is really going to make all of your endeavors better,” Salness said.

The quartet can still remember the first time they played with their name as a group when they performed Bartok 3rd Quartet, what it was like to play at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. and all the time spent learning challenging new music together.

“It’s kind of like a leap of faith to jump in with three other people and you don’t know where you’re gonna land,” Salness said.

Featured image: The professors that make up the Left Bank Quartet pose for a picture. Photo courtesy of the Left Bank Quartet.