With a repertoire that includes jazz, tangos and contemporary hits – in addition to classical music – the Electric Yat Quartet goes “eclectic.”

—By Dean M. Shapiro

When the average person hears the words “string quartet” what immediately might come to mind are esoteric works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and other great composers of centuries past. But a string quartet that performs jazz, Argentine tangos and popular contemporary hits?

Enter New Orleans-based Electric Yat Quartet.

The four young strings players in the EYQ are all classically trained, and they can – and do – perform many pieces in the classical canon. But unlike most other string quartets, their musical tastes don’t stop there. According to violinist Harry Hardin, one of the EYQ’s founding members, the repertoire is “very eclectic.”

Consisting of Hardin and his wife, Natalia Cascante on violins, Amelia Clingman on viola and Jack Craft on cello, the EYQ have performed in dozens of venues, both public and private, in their three years of existence. Lately, the scheduling pace has seen a big uptick: In addition to numerous in-school performances in and around New Orleans, they are also scheduled to appear in the Kids’ Tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as at Rock & Bowl, the Saenger Theatre and the Court of Two Sisters Pavilion in City Park – all within a month of each other.

Founded in 2020, the Electric Yat Quartet will be performing their mix of classical pieces as well as contemporary pop standards and other non-classical genres at this year’s French Quarter Festival from 12:00 noon to nearly 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 15 on the Omni Royal Orleans Stage in the 500-block of Royal Street. Joining them on stage will be Andre Bohren, described as “a classical pianist with eclectic tastes.”

Among the pieces the group expects to perform at the French Quarter Festival are an old New Orleans tune called “That’s a Plenty,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Tico Tico,” a tango composed by Astor Piazzolla and several classical works as well. Bohren will be performing a few classical piano solos.

However, despite the name, not everything the quartet performs is electrified.

“We’ve done acoustic recording as well,” Hardin explained. “When we named the band, we were looking for a name that wasn’t boring. Something fun-sounding but, at the same time, we wanted people to take us seriously. There were a few names we were toying around with but this is the one that stuck.

“I’ve been playing in string quartets in New Orleans for 20 years and I’ve never had so much work until I finally put a name on it,” Hardin continued. “I didn’t have much success with the Harry Hardin Quartet but since the pandemic we’ve been working like crazy – which is wonderful – and we’re all having a blast.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the EYQ performed around 70 outdoor and porch concerts, according to Hardin’s estimate. “We would live stream and encourage people to watch the performances that way,” he said.

When the group goes into the schools they usually feature a performance of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Peter and the Wolf,” but their program is more like what Hardin termed “an evolution of music.” They perform pieces by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and Saint-Saens, leading up to the Prokofiev work, encompassing something from each musical period from 18th century Baroque to the 20th century Impressionistic Period. On “Peter and the Wolf,” Anne Chabreck accompanies the group to play the distinctive flute parts in the piece.

Another program that the group has had success with is a presentation of Gershwin Brothers standards, culminating with the widely familiar “Rhapsody in Blue.” Other programs feature works by such immortal tango composers as Piazzolla and Carlos Gardel. And when they perform a mix of selections they might opt for tunes by the Beatles, Queen and other big-name pop groups.

On the recording front, EYQ is taking on a piano quintet composed by Stephen Dankner, who was Hardin’s theory teacher at NOCCA.

Amelia Clingman, a native of western Massachusetts with degrees from the University of Massachusetts and the New England Conservatory, arrived in New Orleans in 2008 after being accepted for the viola section of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. In addition to the LPO and the EYQ she has also performed with other LPO strings players in the Polymnia Quartet. During the summer months, she holds the position of Principal Viola for the Britt Festival Orchestra in Oregon.

Also describing herself as “eclectic” in her musical preferences, Clingman noted, “I really like to listen to music that I don’t know already, regardless of genre. I’ve never been a tunnel vision classical listener. I’ve always liked a variety of music that’s really fun to hear and play.”

Continuing, she added, “I really like all the New Orleans bands. I’m starting to have friends who are in local bands and I’m getting to know the local music scene.” However, on the classical side, she noted, “I’m a huge fan of Bach and I’m really drawn to Prokofiev and Shostakovich.”

Beyond the French Quarter Festival, the EYQ will be accompanying an Electric Light Orchestra tribute band at Rock & Bowl on April 30 and a Beatles tribute band called The Walrus in City Park on May 11. They will be performing the strings arrangements in songs like “Eleanor Rigby” and “Yesterday” and others that a conventional four-piece band can’t duplicate.

The quartet will also be opening for the Avett Brothers, along with guitarists Anders Osborne and Dave Malone, at the Saenger Theatre on the evening of May 5, following their JazzFest gig. The show is sold out.

For more information about the Electric Yat Quartet, including a schedule of their upcoming events, visit their Facebook page or their website. Videos of the group are viewable on YouTube.

all images courtesy Electric Yat Quartet

In the video below, the quartet plays with Andre Bohren at the 2022 French Quarter Fest, performing “Rhapsody in Blue.” They’ll be doing a reprise at this year’s performance. Don’t miss them at the Omni Royal Stage (500 Royal Street), Saturday, April 15, from noon to 1pm. NOTE: Jacob Fowler will be substituting for Jack Craft on cello for the 2023 French Quarter Fest performance.