Our next catch-up chat is with Briar String Quartet. The quartet appeared on The Talent in Season 2, 2018, and impressed the mentors with their vivacious performance of the Danish String Quartet’s arrangement of “Old Rheinlender” from Sonndala, and  A Luminous Moment, Unfolded by Chris Perren.

In our chat, they told us what they’ve been up to since, how routine has been key to beating the lockdown blues, and what they’re looking forward to post-lockdown.

—

Briar String Quartet, welcome! What have you been up to since your last appearance at 3MBS? 

Weddings, session music, and recitals! We have had the privilege of providing gorgeous music for so many lovely couples over the years, and hope to be able to do that again very soon. You may have also heard our collective strings on the radio or your TV screens at home for Woodes debut album Crystal Ball, Niv Novak’s ballet art film Missed Nuance, and our very own Sage’s debut EP Tethered, just to name a few places. We also traveled to Brisbane to perform at the Dots+Loops Nonstop festival. 

How are you doing/coping during lockdown? 

Just keeping on keeping on! Everyone has their super motivated days and their lulls. We’re certainly building up more resilience in this second lockdown and learning to appreciate the good moments however small or fleeting. 

How has COVID impacted your life/music/creativity? 

Most of us are still studying a Masters degree as well as teaching instrumental music at a number of schools, so we’ve had to navigate the new world of remote learning both as students and teachers. This whole experience has been as much a hurdle as an opportunity. In January, before the pandemic really hit Australia, our cellist was lucky enough to attend a musicians residency at the Banff Centre for Creativity in Canada writing new music, so she’s had a catalogue of work to keep her busy since then.  

What’s your number 1 strategy for beating the lockdown blues? 

Having a routine, but keeping in mind that we’re all running a marathon right now not a sprint. There’s so much time to do all of the things we never had the time to do before, but it’s still possible to go too hard and get overwhelmed by the situation. 

What do you look forward to most post-lockdown? 

Simply the chance to make plans again and look forward to the future! We’re split across Victoria and Queensland at the moment so it may be a long while still before we all get to play together again, but it will be so wonderful when it does happen! 

Where/how can we support you and your music? 

We’re still taking bookings for remote recording sessions during lockdown, and for weddings in 2021. Head to our website to find out more! https://www.briarstringquartet.com. 

You can also listen to our Spotify playlists and in turn support the many artists we have worked with over the years.

—

You can keep up with Briar String Quartet on social media:

• Facebook: @Briarstringquartet
• Instagram: @briar.stringquartet