St. Bonaventure University

Photo by Nathan Russel

The dynamic multi-string quartet Invoke, winner of the 2018 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, will perform at St. Bonaventure University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct 15.

It is the second concert of the 2021-2022 Friends of Good Music performance season. 

Described by SiriusXM Classical Producer David Srebnik as “not classical ... but not not classical,” Invoke dodges even the most valiant attempts at genre classification. The multi-instrumental band’s other “not-nots” encompass traditions from across America, including bluegrass, Appalachian fiddle tunes, jazz, and minimalism. Invoke weaves all of these styles together to create truly individual music written by and for the group.

The band has recently garnered major prizes at international competitions including first prize at the M-Prize International Chamber Arts competition in Ann Arbor, Michigan; first prize in the Coltman Competition in Austin, Texas; and the New Music/New Places prize at Concert Artists Guild’s Victor Elmaleh Competition in New York.

The group’s current season takes it across North America, performing concert engagements and participating in major educational residencies. Highlights include performances at Lincoln Center in New York, Norton Center for the Arts at Kentucky’s Centre College, Newberry Opera House in South Carolina and Green Music Center in Sonoma County, California.

Invoke has shared the stage with some of the most acclaimed ensembles in the country, ranging from the Ensō Quartet to the U.S. Army Field Band, and has also appeared with musicians in greatly varying genres, from chamber rock powerhouse San Fermin to Washington, D.C.’s beatboxer/rapper/spoons virtuoso Christylez Bacon.

Invoke’s debut release “Souls in the Mud” and their follow-up “Furious Creek” feature original works composed by and for the group. The quartet has also performed and recorded numerous world premieres.

Invoke believes in championing diverse American voices, such as their ongoing commissioning project American Postcards, which asks composers to pick a time and place in American history and tell their story through Invoke’s unique artistry.

Given the fluid nature of COVID-19 protocols, please check SBU’s COVID-19 website for the university’s latest policy for campus visitors, including ticketholders for Quick Center performances, or call the Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.

Basic subscriptions to the Friends of Good Music performance season (six concerts) are still available. The cost is $102 at full price, $84 for senior citizens and St. Bonaventure employees, and $27 for students. Tickets for single performances are $20 at full price, $16 for senior citizens and SBU employees, and $5 for students.

For tickets and information, call The Quick Center at (716) 375-2494.

For each Friends of Good Music performance, the Quick Center will open its galleries one hour before the performance and keep them open throughout the intermission. Regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Museum admission is free and open to the public year round. For more information, visit www.sbu.edu/quickcenter.