The Quarantined Quartet, a family guitar ensemble with over one million Instagram followers, captivated millions during the pandemic. They released their debut album, Strumming the Earth, in October.
Known for their unique blend of Spanish classical, flamenco, and world music, the album showcases their signature sound across nine original compositions and three reimagined covers, all performed on four Spanish guitars. Each track reflects the quartet’s commitment to both musical excellence and their ability to evoke emotion, making the album a celebration of global music traditions and modern artistry.
Natasha Barbieri: It’s so beautiful to see a family playing together! Where did the love for music begin?
Quarantined Quartet: Our love for music began when we were pre-teens. Jason had a passion for guitar at 12 years old, and Elysa at 14, both inspired by listening to music at that age. We met later in life, in our 20s. At that time, we were both playing guitar as a hobby. After we got married, we decided to make a career change and pursue our passion for music and teaching by opening the New York Guitar Academy in NYC in 2009. From there, we continued to learn, play, teach, and immerse ourselves—and later, our children—in music. Joseph and Noah have been surrounded by music and guitars since birth. As babies, they couldn’t fall asleep unless someone was playing guitar for them. Music has become a way of life for us, something that connects us deeply, and we consider it part of our culture and the driving force that keeps us together as a family.
Natasha Barbieri: During the pandemic, you won hearts with your daily songs (1,600 days straight!). When you look back, can you hear the growth, and what were some of the lessons that constant creativity taught you as a group?
Quarantined Quartet: Yes, we can definitely hear the growth. We’ve evolved so much as musicians, guitarists, a band, and a family. We’ve become more skilled players, and we sound tighter as a unit. We went from having barely any repertoire as a quartet to building over three hours of music. We even wrote an entire album together as a family, recorded it, and performed at sold-out concerts, festivals, and galas. Since 2021, we’ve held a residency at the iconic Tavern on the Green in NYC’s Central Park, thanks to our daily songs. The biggest lesson we learned is to never give up and to keep playing every day, no matter what the day brings. Consistency and small steps lead to great growth. It pushed us to create and compose together, and it taught us to strive for perfection while accepting that not everything will be perfect. We also learned to roll with the punches, prioritize our goals, and work together to achieve them.
Natasha Barbieri: Tell us about the influences found in your music.
Quarantined Quartet: We have a deep love for the nylon-string guitar and are heavily influenced by Spanish, Flamenco, Brazilian, Classical, and Rock guitar styles. Some of our biggest influences include the Gipsy Kings, Jesse Cook, Juan Serrano, Juan Martin, Sabicas, Paco de Lucía, Paco Cepero, José Luis Balao, Opal Ocean, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Dilermando Reis, Yamandu Costa, Karai Guedes, Ottmar Liebert, and Francisco Tárrega, among many others. We are drawn to the lively, percussive sound of the guitar and enjoy crafting melodic melodies that resonate with listeners.
Natasha Barbieri: Is there a dedicated member who arranges the music, or do you all take turns?
Quarantined Quartet: We all take turns. Typically, one of us will come up with a song or melody, and we’ll build on that idea together. Each of us creates our own parts, and we arrange the song collectively as a group.
Natasha Barbieri: What is the theme behind Strumming the Earth?
Quarantined Quartet: Noah came up with this name when he was a young child, and we always thought it sounded like a great album title. Since we’re a quartet of guitarists, “strumming” feels very fitting. We believe our sound has a global influence, so we often refer to our style as “World Guitar.” The word “Earth” embodies this idea, representing the broad influences and styles that shape our music and the songs on the album.
Natasha Barbieri: What are some of the special moments on the album that you’re excited for listeners to hear?
Quarantined Quartet: There are nine original songs we wrote together, along with three cover songs we arranged as a family. One of the originals, Infinity, was written by Joseph when he was 12. He came up with the melody and turned it into a song, but we never performed it since it wasn’t originally written for a quartet. When we decided to record a studio album, we asked Joseph if we could rework it as a quartet piece, and he agreed. We all added our own parts, and Joseph arranged it. We’re really excited for people to hear this song. Another original, Shifting Woods, was written by Noah when he was 9. We turned it into a quartet piece back then, but it always felt like something was missing. In the process of planning this album, we added a solo section that Noah created, and we played a counterpart melody behind it, which really completed the song. We’re thrilled to release this one, too. These are just two examples of how the album helped bring these songs to completion, adding new styles and dimensions. Honestly, we’re excited about all the songs because they represent our journey together over the past four years.
Stream “Strumming the Earth” on Spotify now!
