Who is a part of the Montani Quartet?
Lauretta Werner, Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin
Yaniv Gutman, Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin
Gabrielle Padilla, Doctor of Musical Arts in Viola
Ryan Phipps, Master of Music in Cello
How did the Montani Quartet come to be?
The Montani Quartet started working together as a group in the fall of 2018. We formed as a quartet after being admitted as graduate assistants in WVU's School of Music. We achieved a high level of musical communication and effectiveness in rehearsal in a short period of time. Also, when rehearsing and performing together, we communicate by following each other musically on an exceptional level. Developing our quartet playing takes a high level of professionalism both in and outside our rehearsals, as well as a high level of dedication to our art.
The Montani Quartet has been named the resident quartet and will serve as String Quartet Teaching Fellows at the Interlochen Arts Camp this summer. Can you tell us more about this?
Our summer position at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp is very prestigious and serves as a wonderful opportunity to cultivate our teaching experiences and skills throughout the year. We are excited to share the knowledge we acquired throughout our musical careers individually and as a group. Teaching at Interlochen Summer Arts Camps offers us the opportunity to contribute to next generation of young musicians.
What are you hoping to gain from this prestigious experience?
We are hoping to make connections with other faculty and represent WVU at Interlochen. We are also hoping to further grow together as musicians and quartet players, and share our musical knowledge with students.
How do you feel your WVU education has prepared the quartet for the experience at Interlochen?
At WVU, we receive constant support and instruction from our wonderful applied instructors. As a part of our assistantships, we meet several times a week for multiple hours a day for rehearsals, which allows us to develop our skills as a quartet. Also, we teach private lessons on our respective instruments to WVU students, and coach undergraduate chamber groups. All of these opportunities have prepared us for our positions as quartet teaching fellows at Interlochen Summer Arts Camp.