30 December 2023

Goodbye 2023!

For us, 2023 was a year of new challenges and imminent changes. We end the year with the feeling that by sharing music with others, we play an important role in their lives and that it is worth overcoming new difficulties.

Christmas concerts bring a certain sense of peace and melancholy, which, as the year comes to an end, makes us reflect on the past months. This moment arrived for us with the last concert of the year, held at the beautiful Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences in Brunico.

As professional musicians, we think about many things before a new concert. At the same time, we want to satisfy the audience and feel fulfilled by the work we have done. Personal development as a violinist, violist, or cellist is just as important as growing as a group—not just as a string quartet in South Tyrol but also as friends. And nothing unites people and drives them forward like new challenges.

We started the year with a long evening in January, with Rachel replacing Łukasz, who was unable to play with us due to COVID. Fortunately, recurring health difficulties came to an end during the year. And we, together with the new BMW i7, spent the evening at the Scitvia S.p.A. launch event, which took place at Four Points by Sheraton Bolzano-Bozen. A wonderful evening for which we prepared an enormous amount of new material, both for violin duos and string quartets.

We spent the following months planning the summer season, which always includes many weddings. This year, the season started unexpectedly early for us, as on May 20th, we traveled with Giulia to Val Badia. This time, as a violin duo, we accompanied the couple not only during the church ceremony but also during the aperitif.

Just one day later, as a string quartet, we traveled to Castel Ivano in Trentino to perform a concert featuring music by Stefano Barcellari, curated by the Tarantâs Theater Group. This was by far our biggest challenge in 2023. We had to face not only contemporary music, which presents many technical difficulties for musicians but also the presence of the composer himself in this production. It is both a great moment to share rehearsal time with the composer and a moment where different musical visions clash. However, it is also a great satisfaction when many hours of practice result in the audience's appreciation.

We concluded the summer season in September with the wedding of Elisabetta and Angelo, which we will remember for a long time. All thanks to Angelo, who requested a special arrangement of the song Il Mondo by Jimmy Fontana—one of the favorite songs of the bride's late father. It was a surprise at the end of the ceremony and also one of the most touching moments we have ever witnessed at weddings. A moment full of nostalgia for those who are no longer with us, but also of love for those who always are. A moment of great significance for music itself. A moment when we, as musicians, realize the gift we share.

With the recent wedding, the first snow arrived in the Dolomites, and for us, this signaled thoughts of winter, upcoming Christmas concerts, and the new year. We enter 2024 with the feeling that it will be a year focused on individual development for each of us, and with this, a time of evolution. As the year comes to a close, Giulia begins her studies in Turin, something we are proud of as it is a big step in her career. Velon Quartet is not just four people playing in Bolzano one day, Trento another, and Colfosco the next. It is a complex relationship, based on trust and well-being. For this reason, with great musicians around us in Trentino-South Tyrol, we want to invite them to play with us, as each will bring something special to the collective that is our string quartet—whether at a wedding, a funeral, or a Christmas concert. So, we look forward to the next year with optimism, convinced that hard work and good company will create even more opportunities to share music with you.

Start the new year with a grateful heart and great hopes. Best wishes!