Buoyant from her debut season with the National Repertory Orchestra in 2024, cellist Haley Rasmussen did not need much arm-twisting to return this summer to join Sadie Hamrin, Solveig Geenen and Tyler Brugmann as the Alumni String Quartet.
“It’s hard to not want to return to this beautiful town and excellent festival,” she says. “My experience as a fellow with the NRO last year was marked by rich and rigorous orchestral training, dynamic performances with challenging repertoire, and a deep sense of belonging and community. Hearing last year’s Alumni String Quartet in performance gave me a small look into the community impact they were making, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to do the same this summer.”
This summer’s impact is well underway, as the ASQ has spent the last several weeks performing free concerts in town centers, historic sites and parks throughout the county as well as in schools and day camps.
“Playing as a member of the ASQ adds a whole new dimension to what I’ve experienced in chamber music,” Rasmussen says. “I believe the variety in demographics, locations, and purposes for our performances will push us to exercise creativity in approach and quality in engagement for each venue and audience. I look forward to, as a quartet, learning how to navigate between smaller performances and libraries full of enthused and curious children.”
Following her first summer in Breckenridge, the Pennsylvania native performed with the Odessa Orchestra & Friends, traveling throughout the country with Hans Zimmer Live. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Rasmussen is pursuing her Masters at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music and is a member of the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. With the Quartet, she is looking forward to finding a new level of connection with a smaller gathering of listeners.
“I’ve always loved getting to interact with audiences before and after performances,” she says. “I hope that we are able to bring smiles to everyone’s faces, whether they are professional classical musicians, listeners, or just seeing a string instrument for the very first time.”
It is the audiences, after all, that represent the future of classical music. Connecting with them on a human level cultivates a fresh love or deeper interest in the art form.
“I really enjoyed participating in the Symphony in the Streets series with my quartet. We linked musical excerpts to the emotions, demonstrating and speaking about how different music makes us feel different things. Interacting with the audience and exchanging different thoughts and ideas made it a very memorable performance,” she says. “As classical musicians, it’s important to remember that most of the opportunities we have to perform come from loyal listeners who make the time to attend our performances. Community engagement events provide spaces to meet and interact with those who make our endeavors worthwhile. I approach these events as moments to express our gratitude for the time and support offered by audience members. These performances also allow us to share music with people of all ages who may not have had many opportunities to engage with classical music.
Don’t miss free NRO Alumni Quartet performances:
JULY 10: Library Visit: Frisco, 10:30 a.m. Library Visit: Breckenridge, 4:30 p.m.
JULY 16: Chamber Concert, 6 p.m., Riverwalk Center, Breckenridge
JULY 23: Pop-Up Concert, 1 p.m., Frisco Historic Park Gazebo, Frisco
JULY 26: Keystone Encore, 10 a.m., River Run Village, Keystone
JULY 28: Pop-Up Concert, 5:30 p.m., Silverthorne Performing Arts Center, Silverthorne
To view the full calendar of this summer’s NRO events, visit nromusic.org.