Well-Strung

Well-Strung is an American string quartet based in New York City[1] that is known for fusing classical music with modern pop music.[2] The band was formed in 2012[3] by band member Chris Marchant and producer Mark Cortale.[1] The band consists of four members, who all identify as gay:[4][5] first violinist Edmund Bagnell, second violinist Christopher Marchant, cellist Daniel Shevlin, and violist Trevor Wadleigh.[2] The band has performed arrangements of hits by artists including Adele, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, P!nk, and Rihanna, arranged with classical songs by composers like Bach, Dvořák, Mozart, and Vivaldi.[2][6] They have also performed covers of songs from films.[5] The band performs their own arrangements.[7]

Well-Strung
Genresclassical music fused with contemporary pop songs
Years active2012 (2012)–present
Websitewell-strung.com
MembersEdmund Bagnell, Christopher Marchant, Daniel Shevlin, and Trevor Wadleig

History

The concept for the band originated in 2010 when Marchant and Cortale met in Provincetown.[4] They held auditions in New York City to round out the quartet and debuted at Joe's Pub in New York City in the spring of 2012.[8] In their first year, they performed over 100 shows.[9] The band has toured internationally,[1][3] including at the Vatican. They played at a gala for Barack Obama.[4][10] They also played for Hillary Clinton, for whom they had written "Chelsea's Mom", a playful reimagining of the 2003 Fountains of Wayne hit song "Stacy's Mom" that had gone viral.[4][10][11][12][13][14] They have performed with celebrities including Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Audra McDonald, and Deborah Voigt.[4][10]

The band has appeared on The Today Show three times and with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.[10][15] Shows have been directed by Donna Drake[2] and Richard Jay-Alexander.[16]

Two of the band's members, Marchant and Wadleigh, competed on The Amazing Race 30 in 2018.[9]

The band also has played multiple times at Ravinia Festival in the Chicagoland area, most recently in 2019.[17]

Style

The group often crafts its own arrangements that combine the two styles of music, such as the group's cover of Taylor Swift's Blank Space layered with excerpts from Bach's Partita No. 3, or the mash-up of Lorde's Royals with composer Karl Jenkins's Palladio.[8][18]

During live shows, the group often shares personal anecdotes with the audience between songs, resulting in part-cabaret, part-concert performance.[2][19]

Albums and appearances

The group regularly plays in cities across America and has toured internationally, playing approximately 120 shows a year.[20][21] Since its formation, Well-Strung has held regular summer residences in Provincetown, Massachusetts, where the group got its start.[20]

Well-Strung has recorded three albums: Well-Strung (2013),[9] POPssical (2015), and Under the Covers (2018).[22] POPssical debuted at #8 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Chart.[13] They have also released two singles: a mash-up of Green Day's "21 Guns" and Pachelbel's Canon, and an arrangement of "Silent Night".[9]

References
  1. "Well-Strung". well-strung.com. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  2. Chris Wong (March 19, 2013). "In 'Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet,' Hunky Gay Stars Play Britney, Mozart (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  3. Andrew Villagomez (February 28, 2013). "Our Newest Fascination, Well-Strung". Out. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  4. Mariah Cooper (August 2, 2017). "Well-Strung and far-flung". Washington Blade. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  5. David-Elijah Nahmod (September 10, 2019). "Gay string quartet Well-Strung goes to the movies". Bay Area Reporter. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  6. Stephen Holden (March 6, 2013). "They're Not Quite 'N Sync". The New York Times. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  7. Lydia Price (August 6, 2015). "You Have to See Well-Strung's 'Blank Space'/Bach Mash-up". People. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  8. Whitford, Emma (March 27, 2015). "Meet New York's Buffest, Poppiest String Quartet". The Cut. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. "Well-Strung". Apple Music. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  10. "Well-Strung". Mark Cortale Presents. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  11. "Critically Acclaimed Singing String Quartet Well-Strung Announced as Headline Entertainment for Third Annual Diversity Honors Presented by the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Saturday, May 6, at Hard Rock Live". The Pride Center at Equality Park. April 3, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  12. Kimble, Lindsay (June 8, 2015). "Chelsea's Mom Has Got It Going On in Hilarious Hillary Clinton Parody Video". People Magazine. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. "A WELL-STRUNG CHRISTMAS to Put Pop-Classical Spin on Holiday Favorites at 54 Below". BroadwayWorld. November 8, 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. "Well-Strung Performs for Hillary Clinton After 'Chelsea's Mom' Goes Viral". BroadwayWorld. July 6, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  15. "Hunky quartet mash up Kelly Clarkson, Mozart". Today Show. March 18, 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  16. Marilyn Lester (January 6, 2019). "Well-Strung: A Well-STrung Christmas". cabaretscenes.org. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  17. "Well Strung @ Ravinia". Ravinia.
  18. Biancolli, Amy (September 15, 2017). "Well-Strung a crossover ensemble". Albany Times Union. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  19. Salamone, Gina (February 28, 2013). "The four hunky guys of Well-Strung are a cross between a boy band and a string quartet". New York Daily News. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  20. List, Madeleine (December 27, 2017). "Bandmates team up for 'Amazing Race'". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  21. "The Amazing Race Cast: Trevor Wadleigh & Chris Marchant". CBS. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  22. "String Quartet Well-StrungTo Release Third Album This Fall Featuring Pop/Classical Mash-Ups". July 17, 2018. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
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