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
MembersEdmund Bagnell, Christopher Marchant, Daniel Shevlin, and Trevor Wadleigh
Websitewell-strung.com

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 in The Amazing Race 30 in 2018.[9]

The band also has played multiple times at Ravinia Festival north of Chicago, 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 was started.[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. "About". Well Strung. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  2. Wong, Chris (March 19, 2013). "In 'Well-Strung: The Singing String Quartet,' Hunky Gay Stars Play Britney, Mozart (PHOTOS)". HuffPost. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  3. Villagomez, Andrew (February 28, 2013). "Our Newest Fascination, Well-Strung". Out. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  4. Cooper, Mariah (August 2, 2017). "Well-Strung and far-flung". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  5. Nahmod, David-Elijah (September 10, 2019). "Gay string quartet Well-Strung goes to the movies". Bay Area Reporter. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  6. Holden, Stephen (March 6, 2013). "They're Not Quite 'N Sync". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  7. Price, Lydia (August 6, 2015). "You Have to See Well-Strung's 'Blank Space'/Bach Mash-up". People. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  8. Whitford, Emma (March 27, 2015). "Meet New York's Buffest, Poppiest String Quartet". The Cut. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  9. "Well-Strung". Apple Music. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  10. "Well-Strung". Mark Cortale Presents. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. 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. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. 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. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. "A WELL-STRUNG CHRISTMAS to Put Pop-Classical Spin on Holiday Favorites at 54 Below". BroadwayWorld. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  14. "Well-Strung Performs for Hillary Clinton After 'Chelsea's Mom' Goes Viral". BroadwayWorld. July 6, 2015. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  15. "Hunky quartet mash up Kelly Clarkson, Mozart". Today. March 18, 2014. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  16. Lester, Marilyn (January 6, 2019). "Well-Strung: A Well-Strung Christmas". Cabaret Scenes. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
  17. "Show History". Ravinia Festival. Archived from the original on August 13, 2022. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  18. Biancolli, Amy (September 15, 2017). "Well-Strung a crossover ensemble". Albany Times Union. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. 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. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  20. List, Madeleine (December 27, 2017). "Bandmates team up for 'Amazing Race'". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  21. "The Amazing Race Cast: Trevor Wadleigh & Chris Marchant". CBS. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  22. "String Quartet Well-StrungTo Release Third Album This Fall Featuring Pop/Classical Mash-Ups". BroadwayWorld. July 17, 2018. Archived from the original on October 19, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
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