The Dallas String Quartet brings together romance and beauty with their new album “Love Always.” The record has already gone to No.2 in both the Billboard Classical and Classical Crossover charts.
The group features Ion Zanca (Producer & Violist), Melissa Priller (Violinist), Anastasiia Mazurok (Violinist), Young Heo (Bass) and Joel White (Guitarist). “Love Always” also features a collaboration with The Piano Guys.
CCM: When did you start playing music? Did you start playing the same instrument you play today or did it change along the way?
Melissa: I started taking violin lessons at the age of 4 and that is still the instrument I play today. I did try other instruments throughout my childhood. I studied piano for a few years and took a few viola lessons, but violin always remained my focus.
CCM: How did the Dallas String Quartet come about?
Ion: We were playing in the symphony and every time we heard a famous classical song I would think about how well it would go paired with a current pop song. Soon thereafter, we started doing our own arrangements – pairing classical with pop – and we never looked back.
CCM: How did you all meet and can you remember the first impressions when playing together?
Ion: We met while we were in school! Actually, the first time I met the cellist I thought, ‘Thank God, I only have to play with him this one time’. Ha, that certainly was not the case!
CCM: What are your individual roles in the group?
Melissa: When we are performing, every person has a different role. Our violinists play all the melody lines listeners recognize in the songs. Ion as the violist will fill in some of the mid range harmonies, and Young as the bassist plays the low end harmony and helps keep the form of the song and all the musicians synced together. Ion founded DSQ and is the group’s leader and creative director. He’s also the dreamer and big idea guy in the band! I maintain our social media accounts and some of the organizational responsibilities.
CCM: You have performed with some incredible performers, including Josh Groban. When you get these calls does it tend to be far in advance or right before a big event?
Ion: At the beginning, it used to be only a couple of weeks notice. Nowadays, we tend to get more notice as our schedule tends to fill up pretty early.
CCM: What are some of the most important lessons you have learned from each other?
Ion: In crossover string playing, there is this technique called chopping, which is used to create different rhythmic patterns that can be used as accompaniment. Chopping is essentially percussion for strings! Well one day we were working on this jazz arrangement and I was playing what I thought were some really cool chopping rhythms. But we were also playing with our drummer on this one. So halfway through, Young, our bass player stops us and informs us “there’s no need to chop when you have a drummer!” The sounds compete with each other and things get messy. I have never forgotten this lesson; don’t chop when the drummer is playing!
CCM: Do you have a favorite performance memory?
Ion: A few years back I wrote a piece for my son Julian called “Drops of Jewels.”. One of the highlights of my career was when we premiered it with the Symphony and he was in the audience. At the end he walked on stage and took a bow. It was a beautiful and memorable moment.
Melissa: In the second half of our shows we use our electric instruments and move around a lot on stage. One time our colleague was wearing heels, and it got stuck in a crack in the stage platforms and she completely fell! Luckily, she was okay, and we were all able to laugh about it afterwards.
CCM: What is it like working with different brands? (Delta, LinkedIn, Cartier)
Ion: We really enjoy curating the music in a way that represents the brand well. Cartier for example had an Islamic exhibition and we curated the music with middle eastern influence. We love Delta because they are experts at travel logistics so the trip was a breeze for us from getting on the plane to walking on stage.
CCM: Tell us about your latest album “Love Always”
Melissa: “Love Always” is an acoustic string album made up of love songs meant to accompany life’s happiest moments. The album features lush string arrangements of pop songs like “Wildest Dreams” and “Lover” by Taylor Swift and “Holy” by Justin Bieber. A few of the tracks are modern covers with classical pieces woven throughout. My favorite track on the album combines the iconic “I Will Always Love You” melody with sections of “Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini” by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
CCM: What was it like working with The Piano Guys?
They were professional while also being very down to earth. They are truly remarkable musicians and we became good friends throughout the process.
CCM: What do you want audiences to take away after either listening to your album or watching you live?
The new album “Love Always” is a good representation of our style and what we want people to take away from our music! It’s inspiring, relaxing, and peaceful, while still being familiar. “Love Always” is a creative way to bring a new life to your favorite songs. Think of this album like a cup of coffee on a Sunday morning you are enjoying surrounded by the people you love. Stream it and see if you agree with us!
dallasstringquartet.com
