Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
A: We are a music collective of about 30 musicians based in Philadelphia, PA. We perform different types of events such as weddings, but we also cherish studio work. Some of our musicians are classically trained, and some went to jazz schools. We perform a variety of genres on a variety of instruments, even though our default ensemble is a string quartet.
Q: What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Philadelphia String Quartet”?
A: Traditional string quartets are associated with Mozart, Beethoven and others. But our love for music goes beyond classical. Our music is frequently associated with the Bridgerton soundtrack, but rather than turning pop into classical music, we’d rather say we perform pop music on string instruments while preserving the essential “pop” of the music.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: There is so much great music being made these days, and it is a constant source of inspiration for us. Some of our favorite artists to cover are Adele, Dua Lipa, Charlie Puth. Our biggest driver is a dancing crowd though. We love the live performance and we thrive on audience feedback.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Oh My God.”?
A: It’s such a captivating song with a memorable melody and a very driving rhythm. When we first heard it, we knew we must cover it. Working on the arrangement was an absolute pleasure, as much as it was to play it. As mentioned above, we really tried to preserve the energy of the song, especially in the culmination of the track with the very distinct dissonance and rhythm.
Q: How would you describe your sound for potential listeners?
A: Classical with a pop twist.
Q: Did you face any challenges while arranging or recording “Oh My God”?
A: Because it is such fun music, it was actually one of the easiest songs for us to record. When it comes to the arrangement, the song has so many intricate layers and it was quite a challenge to decide which 4 layers to choose, since we were live-recording with only four instruments. Ultimately, we were quite happy with the final result and we think it really captures the groove.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Any artist we covered in our recent album. Strings can add a layer of emotion that no other instrument can, in our opinion. 😉
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: We truly believe that music enriches human soul, and if you don’t believe us – there are studies out there proving the importance of playing a musical instrument for brain development. The music industry right now is extremely saturated, and with the AI posing a threat to the creative fields it might be discouraging to get into music. But, our advice is to be persistent, network as much as possible, take every performance opportunity and don’t sell yourself short. In the words of the great Bear Grylls: “NGU – Never Give Up”.
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