Carpe Diem String Quartet presents the world premiere of An American Story online on May 15, 2021

Animated, interactive musical story about ancestry and immigration will be available for on-demand viewing after the premiere

Columbus, OH, May 3, 2021 – On Saturday, May 15 at 7 p.m. EDT, Carpe Diem String Quartet (CDSQ), an ensemble based in Columbus, Ohio, will present the world premiere of An American Story, an animated, interactive musical story about ancestry and immigration. The event will premiere on CDSQ's website (cdsq.org) and will be available for on-demand viewing after the premiere. The event is free and open to the public. Give-what-you-can donations will be accepted.

An American Story features four separate works, all composed and performed by Carpe Diem String Quartet members: violinists Charles Wetherbee and Marisa Ishikawa, violist Korine Fujiwara and cellist Ariana Nelson. Each member of the quartet has written an original work that supports and describes a storyline that involves an ancestor, and how they came to immigrate to America. Each story is supported by beautiful, moving animations by Janet Antich. 

"We are very excited about this unique project and think that this may be the first performance piece of this kind presented by a string quartet," said Wetherbee.  "An American Story is an original multimedia work that features innovative, interactive viewer technology, making this the first 'choose your own path' work for string quartet.”

During the work, the audience is presented with choice points…moments where they can choose what happens next in the story. Depending on the choices made, the performance will go one way or another — each viewing/listening experience is unique.

On May 15 at 7 p.m. EDT, the quartet will host a Zoom watch party. Participants can learn more about the making of An American Story, get help with navigation, and ask questions about CDSQ ancestors and stories. Click here to register. 

An American Story was supported by PNC Arts Alive. For more information and to view the event, visit carpediemstringquartet.com/an-american-story.