The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet Runs on Coffee: William Kanengiser on LAGQ's New Album, Opalescent, and How Connection, Gratitude, and Wellness Inspire His Creativity
Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ). Credit: Jiro Schneider.
Longevity and chamber music don't often go together. For every Emerson String Quartet that spends decades performing together, there are scores of chamber ensembles calling it quits every year. So when a group like the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) reaches its 40th anniversary, it's a cause for celebration.
So what's the secret to their continued longevity? For founding member William Kanengiser, it all comes down to a foundation of friendship and gratitude.
"It's really interesting that we were friends first, and then bandmates," Kanengiser says in the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast. "Like any group, we've had our trials and tribulations ... but we've left a legacy that we're proud of. We've had fun doing it and we've hopefully given people a little bit of joy and solace as we've gone along. We have a lot to be thankful for."
That sense of celebration and gratitude is at the heart of LAGQ's new album, Opalescent. The Grammy Award–winning ensemble's 14th album finds the quartet exploring ideas of light, color, and sound through a wide range of works by composers they've worked with throughout the years.
In this conversation, we discuss the new album, how the joys of human connection inspire William's music-making, and the important role wellness plays in his personal and professional life as a co-founder of the Thornton Musicians Wellness Committee at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music.
Plus, Bill muses on his favorite espresso and the central role coffee plays in the LAGQ, his passion for cooking as a creative outlet, and how New York City's restaurants served as his gateway to the world while growing up in suburban New Jersey.
Listen to Opalescent wherever you stream or download music.
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