*Music* Originally
the Ying Quartet came to Eastman because
we all we're at a point in our lives where we're looking for a place to
continue our musical studies.
Well, Eastman was definitely the beginning. *Music* We all came to Eastman for our own
individual reasons
and once we were all here together as I said
obviously it occurred to us that we have the correct instruments to play in a string quartet
*Music*
The original group membership was my three brothers and myself so that's Timothy
Philip and David. *Music* It's
sometimes hard to describe because it started pretty much
when I was studying in school and
has just gone steadily from that time and so I don't really have
anything else to compare it to. Playing with my siblings
in in some ways is difficult to talk about because I've never played in a professional
string quartet with anybody besides them until playing with
Frank and Ayano in recent years especially. When you first sit down with Ayano five years ago we
would guarantee that somethings going to happen that we don't expect. *Music*
When I knew that Ayano was going to join us and I would
definitely looking forward to it a lot just the
whole process of getting to know someone and seeing how your
your personalities fit together, just how you interact.
*Music* That seem more unified to me.
What struck me in the beginning is that well they've been playing for twenty
years
and when I joined you guys in I think I was struck by how smooth you run everything
so I was like "oh". Well I can just come in and play the notes
like and it was very like very easy to fit in.
I mean the process is always interesting because you learn so much
yourself about your own playing but
then just how that applies to music as a whole.
*Music*
Anytime there's like a reset it just allows you to rethink things that
you might of ordinarily take for granted that you maybe didn't even realize you were taking
for granted. *Music*
I know that I've felt in changing to Ayano.
When we first start playing especially I felt like I was in high school again
um, playing these pieces for the first time in going wow
this is an amazing feeling being in string quartet for the first time. *Music* These are
really strong and
committed player so it's always clear what sort of musical ideas that she's
bringing across. I think we have a tendency to
be late on that second beat. The second quarter? Yeah, the second beat, yeah. Okay.
It's always a a process of figuring out well here's the idea
and then how can we do it. *Music* You three have
such a bond, a lot of history together. Yeah! You know how you think. You talk to each
other all the time.
It was very different to come in. Um,
but I think making music is
about the music and so I think we're musical colleagues first.
You were saying that the two opening gestures seem to hesitant. No, no, no, I was
interesting to do it that way.
You spend hours and hours together every day is like a small
intense work group that never changes. *Music*
It's been great the last five years with Ayano. She's turned out to be a person of
great integrity musically and personally
and it's been very easy to grow with her. *Music* Some of the beauty of being a musician is
built into its sort of transcends effective in a femoral art
A performance only exists for a moment. The way I made this
one note only exists for that moment, *Music*
and that's kind of its beauty to. It helps you appreciate life in a way. *Music*
Transitions hard cause its transition and uncertainty.
There are times in a string quartet that you talk
so there's always conversations going on and it was in one of those that Ayano
said I
I need to talk about some thing that's on my mind. I'm in a place in my life where I I
I feel like I
I need to move on. There's other places that I want to go. There's other things I need
to do.
It's hard. It was really hard. You feel like the wind is knocked out of you a little
bit.
I think we've grown a lot and I like where we are so its
it's sad, you know, but on the other hand
quartet only works if it's a all for one, one for all. *Music*
I got to remind myself,
this is amazing. This is a special thing. These four people in a room. These three people with
me.
Making music in this totally committed and passionate way.
That's something to to treasure and it's not meant to be permanent.
It's meant to be these moments and
they're more of them in the future too. *Music*
*Music* I guess then
when you're looking at transition and I try to take a positive viewpoint
and just kind of treasure all the things that were great that happened and
all the enjoyable times. *Music*
I hope that our music-making continues to have a lot of vitality.
I think that people continue to connect with with that sense of
communication.
I like what we've done. I like where we are
but it life. It's growing. Its always journeying.
Maybe that's the one regret that I have that
yeah, we've come to a great place after five years but
like maybe if I had stayed for another five, like we would of
kept growing and kept getting better, hopefully. Hey you never know
I think so, but hopefully and so we'll never hear that like
that's, that's sad. Yeah.
Well, well we can meet up with you in five more years.
See what happens. Will have a Beatles reunion or something *Music*
Music it only exists for the moment and you try and enjoy every moment.
It's very bittersweet but we're totally
excited for what her future brings and I'm really excited for what's around the bend
for
for myself, for Phillip, for Jan. *Music*
So to find that one special person is a challenge and
that's what we faced when we found out that Ayano
needed to move on but we've feel really passionate about the string
quartet.
We wanted to make it continue to work. We're excited about growing.
Excited about being here at Eastman and so we've fortunately found somebody. *Music*