Harlem Renaissance-inspired group continues innovation

During the early 20th century, in the Harlem section of New York, Africanamerican artists — writers, painters and musicians among them — created a cascade of fresh, original works that became known as the Harlem Renaissance.

In the process, they formed a kind of artistic utopia, said violinist Ilmar Gavilan.

“It’s an uplifting idea,” Gavilan said. “The idea of people of color from the past coming there and just having this mini cultural oasis in the country.”

Thirteen years ago, Gavilan was among the founding members of a chamber-music ensemble that sought to revive the spirit of the Harlem Renaissance: the Harlem Quartet.

“In our hearts,” Gavilan said, “we really wanted to be part of a re-enactment or a re-renaissance.”

On Saturday, the Harlem Quartet — also featuring violinist Melissa White, violist Jaime Amador and cellist Felix Umansky — will perform in the Southern Theatre.

The concert, presented by the Chamber Music in Columbus series, ties in with central Ohio’s ongoing commemoration of the centennial of the Harlem Renaissance.

The quartet traces its origin to the Sphinx Competition, which awards prizes to black and Latino string musicians. Gavilan, along with fellow founding member White, won the competition.

“The founder of this competition ... liked the idea of making a quartet from firstprize winners, and that’s what he did,” said Gavilan, 44, a native of Havana, Cuba.

The Harlem Quartet’s mandate includes educational outreach; early on, numerous visits were paid to schools in Harlem.

“Sometimes we repeated the visit, and the kids greeted differently and they were familiar with our shtick,” Gavilan said. “Like, what’s the difference between a viola and a violin? They already knew this kind of thing.”

Today, the quartet has expanded beyond Harlem, having traveled to 47 states and overseas to perform. Most trips include school visits; during its stay in Columbus, the group will perform at the Ohio State School for the Blind.

“The outreach became way more global,” Gavilan said.

Global in scope, too, will be the program performed on Saturday, including composers from Europe, the United States and Cuba.

The concert will open with Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Quartet in F minor,” which is widely known by the moniker “Serioso.”

“Sometimes Beethoven has very overt humor,” Gavilan said. “Here, the whole piece is really like the nickname — pretty serious.”

To provide contrast, the quartet will turn to contemporary American composer William Bolcom’s “Three Rags for String Quartet.”

“This one has a lot of humor,” Gavilan said. “We always want to make this point that other music — other than the traditional, wonderful, standard classical music — are also worthy of our most respect.”

The quartet will temporarily transform into a jazz band for trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie’s famous piece “A Night in Tunisia.”

“Felix, in the cello ... doesn’t even use the bow,” Gavilan said. “He will be plucking like a stand-up bass.”

The concert will continue with “Cuarteto en Guaguanco,” a work composed by Gavilan’s father, former Havana Symphony Orchestra conductor Guido Lopez-gavilan. The piece combines classical and Afrocuban elements.

“‘Guaguanco’ is the name of a dance,” Gavilan said. “That dance came from the African slaves to Cuba.”

The program will conclude with Claude Debussy’s “Quartet in G minor,” which Gavilan describes as “very special for all string players because it has so many new colors in the arsenal.”

Gavilan said that the quartet remains inspired by Harlem and its heritage.

“We, in our own way,” he said, “wanted to reignite that feeling in Harlem.”