From the Producer - It is an honor to have David Rimelis' string duos and quartets album as the label's first release. If you haven't yet heard his music, prepare to be delighted and moved! His music is at turns playful, athletic, solemn, and sweet; deceptively light, suggestive of a variety of cultures and popular styles, the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms possess tremendous integrity and allure. The incredible adaptability of the Madison String Quartet is abundantly evident here; they project styles as varied as tangos, country fiddles, and much more. - Scott R. Hawkinson From the Composer - These string pieces were created over the past two decades for various groups and situations.  “Pictures of Emily” was commissioned for the memorial service of my friend Emily Hart, an 88-year-old church organist who, after becoming legally blind, came to me for lessons in improvisation and composition. “Reminiscence” was composed for the Madison Quartet for this recording. The blues shuffle/jig “Trans-Atlantic Segue” was commissioned by the Segue String Quartet for a tour of Ireland. The “Three Celtic Dances” and “Two Latin Dances” were commissioned by Marin Alsop as a Christmas gifts for her parents, cellist Ruth Alsop and violinist Lamar Alsop. “Panorama” is the second movement of a quartet for strings and video screens; it is a four-part musical canon written to accompany a four-screen video canon. “An American Dream” was originally created for my jazz group, Life; the string quartet version heard here was arranged for this recording. “Ripe August” was composed for a concert deep in the woods of Northern New Jersey late one Summer. “Air to an Orange Moon” was written for a fiddle contest which I entered and, I regret to report, didn’t win; at the suggestion of cellist Gerall Hieser, I arranged it for this recording. “Caprice en Groove” was commissioned by the Los Angeles-based Green String Quartet.  - David Rimelis The Madison String Quartet, praised for its energetic performances and inventive programing is bringing a new side of classical music to the New York metropolitan area. Drawing on the international experience of its members the Quartet explores music from many parts of the world. Tracks 1-3, 6, 10-13: Evelyn Estava, violin I; Rebecca Harris-Lee, violin II; Michael Avagliano, viola; Gerall Hieser, cello Tracks 4, 5, 7-9: Rebecca Harris-Lee, violin; Gerall Hieser, cello Recorded at locations in Bernardsville and Montclair, NJ Our special thanks to Mark and Shirley Yolleck All music composed by David Rimelis © 2015 BMI Produced by Scott R. Hawkinson All selections recorded, edited, and mastered (96 kHz, 24 bit) by Scott R. Hawkinson, Double V Digital Recordings Photograph and cover art © 2014 Scott R. Hawkinson, recording ℗ 2013, 2014, 2015 Scott R. Hawkinson