Meet ABC

  • The Name

    Formed in the midst of the Covid-19 global pandemic, Analog By Choice seemed a fitting name for a group dedicated to creating live, chamber music. As the world went online, many of us strongly felt the potency of human interaction, creation, and community as we lost them in the quarantine. Coming out of the pandemic, we knew that live, acoustic chamber music would be the medium to foster all three of these elements. Music creates "...a continuous transmission of information to our senses" and never more so than when it is live. Additionally, we like to imagine the members of a chamber ensemble as individual parts of an analog device. If the ensemble is a clock, each person or instrument functions as a separate gear which allows the clock to tick only when perfectly precise and balanced. 

    The initials of ABC also reflect our concert model: alphabet themed programs. Each of our concerts features composers whose last names begin with a common letter. In this way, we play the music we know and love while always being challenged to find new or overlooked composers whose music deserves recognition.

  • The People

    ABC is made up of professional musicians and artists from across the Boston area who believe in bringing high quality, live experiences to the communities we live in. Our members include graduates of the Longy School of Music, New England Conservatory, Boston Conservatory, Oberlin Conservatory, Boston University, and others. Our musicians have performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia as members of orchestras, soloists, and (of course) chamber musicians. Our collaborating artists have included painters, storytellers, actors, dancers, and more. Each of them has elevated the experience of the music in their own way. Our shared dedication to Analog By Choice comes from a love of playing chamber music together and the belief that by collaborating across art forms, we can provide a new perspective on this incredible music.

  • The Point

    Analog By Choice is a Boston-based collective of classical musicians dedicated to producing high quality performances featuring historically underrepresented composers alongside their better-known contemporaries. By programming each concert around a single letter of the alphabet, we are able to expand our own repertoire while providing our audiences with a fun and engaging entry point to both new and familiar music. 

     

    Each concert by Analog By Choice focuses on composers whose last names begin with a common letter. We believe that by highlighting each letter from the alphabet in turn, we can equitably provide audiences with diverse and interesting programming often lacking in the world of classical music.

ABC Team

Peter Paetkau

Artistic Director and Co-Founder

Sebastien Ridore

Co-Founder

Andrew Kucenski

Director of Outreach

Musicians

Violin:

Sophia Bernitz

Thomas Cooper

Nate Kim

Greta Myatieva

Karl Orvik

Yulia Price 

Sarah Zahorodni 

Viola:

Isaiah Chapman

Corley Friesen Johnson

Caroline Leguia

Madeline Stewart

Cello:

Matthew Henegan

Tyler Michael James

Nicholas Johnson

Jose Quezada Marquez

Piano:

Alethea Khoo

Adam Merrill

Ariel Mo

Li Shalun

Tessa Shune

Bahar Soyoz

Luping (Robyn) Xu

Clarinet:

Yhasmin Valenzuela-Blanchard

Vocalist:

Hannah Shanefield 

Collaborating Artists

Beatrix - Visual Artist

Laura Coe - Dancer

Rubenite Grandoit - Actor and Storyteller

Jennifer Martinez - Poet

Caroline Samuels - Youth Engagement

Valerie Stephens - Storyteller

Reuben Stern - Conductor and Storyteller