Raves & Reviews

“A delightful & rare (for me) evening in the West Village:) Eight Strings and a Whistle at Jefferson Market Library. 2/3 of 8SW is in Church of Betty: cellist Matt Goeke & violist Ina Litera. Their partner-in-crime is flutist Suzanne Gilchrest. The 3 of them share spectacular chemistry. I thought I wrote crazy *** for em, but their modern classical charts leave mine in the dust lol The acoustics in the library lobby made the trio feel like a larger ensemble. The compositions were stunning, delivered w/ verve & lovingly received by the capacity audience. My heart’s still full this morning.”

“I’m still talking about you folks! … What stands out to me, is how immediate you are with the audience – how people can literally reach out and touch you. This makes not only the music accessible, but you – the people making that beautiful sound.”

“Thank you for a great performance last evening! Many of our audience members are used to more traditional fare, yet your explanations and thoughtful/spirited interpretations of the pieces made them believers–as I think you could tell by the warm response and many comments from concert-goers afterwards. I wish you all the best and will look forward to having you back in Rehoboth at some point in the future.”

“Had two wonderful performances by Eight Strings & a Whistle today! Those are three of the kindest. most generous people I have met in my lifetime! Thank you so much to Ina, Suzanne and Matt!… You did an awesome job, and everyone loved the concerts!”

“Thanks so much for your contributions to the festival, not only through your beautiful performance but also through your work with our students. I hope our paths cross again, too, and soon!”

It was kind of a beam of light in this otherwise dark world…  I am amazed at how in sync the 3 of you are.

Wonderful performance on Sunday.

I love listening to Eight Strings & a Whistle. Your musicality and attention to the composer’s intentions come through in everything you play. The phrase that comes to mind is ‘passionate elegance’.

Thank you for a splendid launch to our concert season!

Many thanks for such enjoyable performances. You were so able to adapt to all the challenges of putting on programs for our schools. The concrete visuals you used in Benjamin Britten’s piece were great for kids of all ages. Bravo!

Eight Strings & a Whistle uniquely demonstrate total professionalism in their preparation, communication, performance and interaction with audience members. They’re music-oriented and people-oriented. The group knows what makes good music.

You are all such talented musicians. It’s a privilege to see you and hear you perform. One audience member said to me, ‘We’re not stupid. We like being introduced to new music. This was a wonderful program.’ I second that opinion, wholeheartedly!

I knew in advance that all of you are fantastic musicians, but I had no idea how great you would all sound together in our galleries. Everyone so enjoyed your performance — from the well-known to pieces written for you. What a treat!!

Eight Strings & a Whistle consists of three wonderful musicians who worked sensitively and meticulously to convey the piece I composed for them. On stage they possess a charisma and charm that draws the audience into each piece they perform.

“Thank you so much for your awesome performance last night.”

I went in for a concert by Eight Strings & a Whistle and found that my pew was not that comfortable. Then the music started and all was forgiven.  I was so enthralled by the beauty and quality of the playing that my attention was stolen from the pain.

“Audience members have been asking when you will return.”

“Friends made appreciative noises about your excellent performance…You three did your part superbly…”

Eight Strings & a Whistle lured our audience into the world of contemporary music with intriguing interpretation and intimate narrative.

I was flattered that Eight Strings & a Whistle asked me to write them a piece. I so admired their performance at the Bar Harbor Music Festival in 2009. They are adventurous, meticulous, and supremely musical-and the best advocate a composer could have.

Ina, Suzanne and Matt as Eight Strings & a Whistle are one of NY’s new music treasures. Their recital at the 2009 Bar Harbor Festival featured polished playing, compelling listening, and a ton of charm!

Not only was the playing first-rate, but you also connected well with the crowd and answered their questions with intelligence and humor.

I found the precision and feeling of your collective musicianship, the largeness of the group’s sound, the unique combination of instruments and personalities, the casual ease in wielding an impressive array of extended techniques and the wide ranging repertoire very inspiring.

Thank you so much for learning my difficult work and bravo on your first public performance of it. It struck me tonight how amazing it is that it is possible to code so many thousands of details into notated music and have such phenomenally gifted and rigorously trained musicians decode not only the letter but the spirit.

I think you make the flute speak in a way that I’ve not heard anyone else do. Your choice of material has made me more interested in contemporary music than I thought I was.

[The Trio] gave intense readings of diverse repertoire in their interesting program.… The group managed technical and ensemble challenges with confidence… [The Graun] sounded rich and authentic…The cellist, Matthew Goeke, played the continuo part with charm and a nice bounce and flutist, Suzanne Gilchrest, and violist, Ina Litera, played with a lightly textured blend. …the group played this expertly written piece (Hilary Tann’s “The Walls of Morlais Castle”) with commitment and passion.