The beauty of a classical string group is in fluidity of the ensemble play. The way that they move together without a steady percussive pulse. The way that music is picked up of a page and transformed into sound astounds so many. Local musician and teacher Rachel Hatt has helped so many young musicians start their musical careers. I approached her to see if she would be interested in performing and she responded by telling me that she would like to do a performance with a group! As a result, we have her Classical String Quartet performing at The Cove Inn on Thursday, April 24 from 5 to 8 PM. Details and reservations here: web link

Seamus Cowan: You've become a very well-known and respected teacher of violin and piano in our area. What is your early story learning your instruments and did you ever think that you would become a teacher?

Rachel Hatt: Betty Casselman was my first piano teacher. My lessons were in an old farmhouse with a beautiful, old upright piano and a "spinny" stool. I loved my lessons with Betty, she gave kids in our rural community a good classical foundation. I was 16 years old when I started violin lessons with Melinda Collins in Kingston. This was the same year that my family moved to Westport. I was highly motivated and so thankful for the opportunity. Melinda had a wonderful way of pushing me hard but also helping me believe that I was capable. I've wanted to be a teacher for a long time, I was so inspired by my teachers and wanted to do for others why they did for me.

Q: Violin is such a story instrument with such incredible history. It's the leader of the orchestra. Are there any sort of grandiose thoughts like that which come to mind when pulling the bow over the strings?

Rachel: It's a very difficult instrument and requires a lot of tedious practice. Sometimes it's frustrating, sometimes it's boring and sometimes it sounds terrible. But when the time comes to play or perform a piece, it just transports you. It's such a versatile instrument. It's powerful yet delicate. It requires such precision when playing and yet it's capable of such raw and emotional sound. I think it's so neat that the same instrument has two different names, violin and fiddle! Such different, wonderful sounds that come from the very same instrument!

Q: In an area of the world that is more folk, country and roots-centric, do you find it challenging to factor the practice of the classical violin into the repertoire? And do you find more of your students looking to study the folk fiddle style?

Rachel: It is challenging and I'm always nervous that people won't like what I have to play but I'm learning that there's actually a hunger for more classical music in our community. Honestly, all my students are very open to classical and it's really neat getting to be the person who's introducing them to Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. It's such a privilege and it's amazing to see them react with genuine interest and excitement. That being said, I do my best to help my students explore the music that they are interested in and some are certainly interested in fiddle. I myself love the fiddle and I find it to be a fun contrast to classical!

Q: In this day and age, we're exposed to so many styles and sounds in music. Who are some of your major influences in terms of violin or fiddle players?

Rachel: The first two that come to mind are Hilary Hahn and Itzhak Perlman, both classical violinists. Itzhak Perlman plays with so much emotion and passion. Hilary plays with incredible technique and intonation. Both of them create some of the most beautiful music. I'm much less familiar with fiddle players so someone needs to send me recommendations!

Q: The Cove is excited to present your quartet with your friends this coming Thursday! Featuring this style of classical music, it's such a great opportunity to expand minds here. Can you tell us how this all came together and touch a little bit on your repertoire?

Rachel: It's been my dream to play at The Cove for a long time and I'm thrilled to have this opportunity. Kathy was the first person that I reached out to because we had talked before about playing together. Along the way, we reached out to Min-Hi and Rennie so that we could add more to our sound. Preparing for this concert has been a totally new experience for me and it's been a ton of work. Searching for repertoire, practicing and coordinating everyone. We have a variety of music that we will be playing on Thursday including some Bach, Schumann and even Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik which everyone will recognize! We will also be splitting off into some solos and duets so there is a lot to look forward to.

Q: If you could really focus to create and step into the spotlight on a performance and/or composition level, what kind of style do you think you would harness? I hope this performance experience gives you an opportunity to have some more confidence to do so!

Rachel: This is such a difficult question for me because I want to do everything! But this opportunity has given me a chance to explore some chamber music, and I love it. There is so much amazing music out there written for small ensembles and I'm very eager to continue researching and expanding our repertoire! My dream would be to explore composers like Dvorak and Tchaikovsky. I'm SO thankful for this opportunity to share something a little different with the community and I'm excited to see where it leads. And I'm always interested in improving my fiddling! Posted: Apr 21, 2025