Nikita String Quartet plays Keel Road

Nikita String Quartet performs "Keel Road", the celebrated album of original arrangements of Irish, Danish, and English folk tunes by the renowned Danish String Quartet. While classical musicians and composers have a history of quoting the folk tunes of the people and using those melodies as inspiration, the Danish String Quartet created something revolutionary by showcasing the tunes and styles themselves using the traditional classical string quartet.

Experience this music, and the quartet up close as it was originally intended— not in a large concert hall, but in the hub of the people gathering in a community space to share food and drink together.

Ariel Wang (violin): Ariel plays in a variety of styles from classical to jazz, pop to folk. Her offices range from weddings at Napa wineries to Oakland Coliseum with Miss Lauryn Hill and the Fugees, the Paramount with Oakland Symphony, to local venues and recording studios with hometown bands.

Kathy Blackwell (violin): Kathy has spent recent years crafting folk glory with her band, Cotton Polly. She can be found wrangling feisty elephant seal pups in her spare time or entertaining her own crazy pups at home.

Laela Peterson-Stolen (viola): Laela is in the small minority that think the viola is superior, even though she plays violin in both a country band (Urban Outlaws) and an Eastern European rock outfit (Junk Parlor). She hopes to someday run a rescue facility for giraffes.

Patty Espeseth (cello): A versatile performer, Patty Jo is grounded in classical but addicted to modern musical genres. Whether improvising with local singer-songwriters or performing with musical theatre, she loves to lay down sweet, low sounds. You will often find her sporting a silly hat or wig because fun is a calling.