Grammy Award-winning Catalyst Quartet reimagines the classical music experience

Catalyst Quartet, a string ensemble that reimagines the classical music experience through a mission rooted in unity, outreach and artistic excellence, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall. The performance is part of Luther College’s 2025-26 Center Stage Series.

Catalyst Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in the Center for Faith and Life Main Hall at Luther College.

“Catalyst Quartet is one of the most interesting string quartets and we are thrilled to host them in Decorah,” said Susan Potvin, director of programming and outreach.

Hailed by The New York Times as “invariably energetic and finely burnished,” Catalyst Quartet was founded by the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Organization in 2010. The ensemble (Karla Donehew Perez, violin; Abi Fayette, violin; Paul Laraia, viola; and Karlos Rodriguez, cello) believes in the unity that can be achieved through music. They imagine their programs and projects with this belief in mind. They are known for redefining and reimagining the classical music experience for audiences.

“It’s particularly interesting that the final piece on their Feb. 13 program is Czech composer Antonin Dvorak’s ‘American Quartet,'” Potvin said. “Dvorak wrote the piece in June 1893 while vacationing in nearby Spillville. Dvorak found contentment and inspiration from the peaceful natural surroundings and the hospitality of the local community during his time in Iowa. ‘American Quartet’ quickly became a frequently performed work for chamber ensembles.”

Additionally, Catalyst Quartet is committed to celebrating composers of color whose works have been overlooked by the traditional canon. The ensemble’s ongoing project, “UNCOVERED,” is a multi-volume anthology that celebrates composers of color whose works have been overlooked by the traditional canon.

Volume 1 was released February 2021 and the album includes the string quartet and quintets of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor with clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Stewart Goodyear.

Released in February 2022, Volume 2 is devoted to composer Florence B. Price. Four of these songs are part of Catalyst Quartet’s Feb. 13 program at Luther College. Volume 3 was released in February 2023 and featured Coleridge-Taylor, Perkinson, William Grant Still and George Walker. Volume 4 is in the planning phase.

Catalyst Quartet has toured widely throughout the United States and had sold-out performances in Washington, D.C., Chicago, Miami and New York City. Catalyst Quartet played six concerts with jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant for Jazz at Lincoln Center. The subsequent recording won the 2018 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album.

Before the performance, treat yourself to dinner starting at 5:30 p.m. in the Peace Dining Room at the Dahl Centennial Union. The cost is $33 per person. The meal starts with a pulled pork cornbread tartlet topped with whipped pimento cheese spread and fresh scallions. The main entree is Cajun gumbo with braised chicken thighs and andouille sausage served with roasted vegetables and white rice with pickled sweet jalapeños and red onions. A slice of olive oil cake coated with a citrus glaze and topped with fresh berries and shaved dark chocolate is dessert. Dietary accommodations are available upon request.

Buy tickets for the Feb. 13 performance and for the pre-show dinner at tickets.luther.edu or at the Luther Ticket Office in the Center for Faith and Life. Contact the ticket office at tickets@luther.edu or 563-387-1357 for more information.