Roots to Sky: Moira Smiley + Rasa String Quartet

Presented in partnership with Otter Creek Music Festival.

Join us for an immersive fall evening of luminous, genre-crossing music with singer and composer Moira Smiley and Rasa String Quartet!

Anchored by Smiley’s Rhizome Project, the performance brings together voice, banjo, piano and string quartet in lush, percussive arrangements of ancient and contemporary folk songs. The program explores the meeting point of classical and folk traditions, with works by Smiley, Caroline Shaw, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Sato Matsui performed collaboratively and by the quartet.

Rooted in themes of connection, the music reflects the hidden networks that bind us across time, place and tradition — like rhizomes nourishing life beneath the surface. Rich, intimate and deeply resonant, this program offers the perfect balm for a fall evening.

Schedule
Doors open: 6 p.m.
Event begins: 7 p.m.
Event ends: 8:30 p.m.

Artist Bios

Singer, composer, and song-collector MOIRA SMILEY has performed, recorded and collaborated with the likes of Laurie Anderson, Tune-Yards, Eric Whitacre, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Chris Thile, Sam Amidon, The National Symphony and Solas.. Moira’s original compositions, choral arrangements, and folk music are sung by millions of voices around the world today. Folded into her busy commission and performing schedule are guest artist residencies at countless universities and music organizations across the planet.

Listen | Watch 

THE RASA STRING QUARTET delivers fresh, engaging performances that blend classical elegance with folk whimsy and celebrate global traditions. Formed in 2019, the Boston-based ensemble consists of violinists Emma Powell and Maura Shawn Scanlin, violist Kiyoshi Hayashi, and cellist Mina Kim, who are graduates of the New England Conservatory, the Shepherd School of Music, and Yale University. Rasa String Quartet are winners of the 2022 Associazione Europea di Musica e Comunicazione International Chamber Music Competition (Italy), the 2021 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition (ATL), the 2020 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition (OH), and were the 2022-23 ensemble in residence at Phillips Exeter Academy. Their commitment to education has also led to residencies at institutions like Walnut Hill School for the Arts, UMass Dartmouth, and Boston Music Project.

Folk | Classical 

Accommodations

Vermont Public is committed to providing access and accommodation for individuals with disabilities at our events. To request accommodations, please email events@vermontpublic.org or call us at 802-655-9451 at least seven days in advance of the event.

Cancellation Policy
Please let us know by emailing events@vermontpublic.org if you are not able to join us so that we may release your tickets to someone else. If tickets are able to be resold, we are happy to offer a refund, minus the processing fees.

Directions and Parking
The Vergennes Opera House is located at 120 Main Street Vergennes, VT 05491. Parking is available in the surrounding downtown area. There is free, unmetered on-street parking along Main Street and nearby side streets, as well as designated public parking lots throughout the city.

Recording Disclosure
This event will be recorded for future broadcast.

Other questions?

Email us at events@vermontpublic.org.