Catalyst Quartet Performs on Shelter Island

The Shelter Island Friends of Music will present the Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet in a special performance on Saturday, April 5, at 6 p.m. at the Shelter Island Presbyterian Church.

Founded in 2010, the ensemble — Karla Donehew Perez (violin), Abi Fayette (violin), Paul Laraia (viola), and Karlos Rodriguez (cello) — seeks to redefine the classical music experience by blending technical brilliance with a deep belief in music as a tool for connection and social change.

The Catalyst Quartet has performed at prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Kennedy Center, and have collaborated with world-renowned musicians such as Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, Imani Winds and the Silk Road Ensemble.

The Catalyst Quartet is also celebrated for its dedication to amplifying underrepresented voices in classical music. It’s ongoing recording project, “UNCOVERED,” is a multi-volume series that spotlights composers of color, featuring works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Florence B. Price, William Grant Still and George Walker.

The April 5 program will feature a compelling mix of classical and Latin American influences, including works by Maurice Ravel, Astor Piazzolla, Paquito D’Rivera and George Gershwin.

Admission to the concert is free, with donations appreciated to support future concerts. A reception with the artists will follow the concert. Shelter Island Presbyterian Church is at 32 North Ferry Road on Shelter Island. For more information, visit shelterislandfriendsofmusic.org.