The music faculty has teamed up to exhibit its musical talents.

Professors Andrew Luchansky, Anna Presler, Ian Swensen and Anna Kruger are members of the Sun Quartet, which is Sacramento State’s faculty string quartet.

Formed in 1993, the Sun Quartet has performed in the Sacramento area, The Hillside Club in Berkeley, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center in New York City – just to name a few.

Professor Luchansky, who specializes in the cello, began taking his cello music seriously at the age of 14 while enrolled in a summer art program.

“The other kids were very serious about their art,” Luchansky said. “Before, I chugged along doing my own duties and had never been around that.”

Likewise Professor Presler, who specializes in violin chamber music, was also inspired to play music at a young age.

“I started playing at age 6 and was inspired at a summer camp when I was 10,” Presler said. “After that, I started playing string quartet with friends.”

Luchansky said the group’s musical sound is derived from the members’ heavy experience.

“We go through the point of the view of the soul of the music since we’re all experienced players who’ve put in hundreds of hours playing chamber music with others and this group,” Luchansky said.

Presler describes the group’s sound as the “exploration of different sound colors.”

“We explore changing balance and how each note should be articulated, such as how strong or smooth the sound should be,” Presler said. “We also think about how the music is structured to help the audience know how it’s all put together—the same way a language is spoken.”

Presler said her coach from a past music festival, Eugene Lehner, was her musical influence.

“His interest in how music is parallel to speaking approach influenced me,” Presler said.

Meanwhile, Luchansky was influenced by quartets Julliard and Guarneari, whom he compared to the Rolling Stones and the Beatles in rock music.

“They’re two very different kinds of quartets which our generation looked to,” Luchanksy said. “They both had incredible high caliber in their music making.”

Luchanksy also included how his musical inspiration is derived from his students.

“When the student is interested and is really connected, there’s something that flows back and forth between teacher and student,” Luchansky said. “And having to explain something to a student makes me understand it (the music) more.”

Both Luchansky’s and Presler’s favorite part of performing is being around others.

“I like making music with my friends and performing in front of people that I love and care about,” Luchansky said.

Presler talked about how she likes to be in front of an appreciative audience, especially in smaller settings.

“You can feel how the audience reacts to the music especially in a smaller venue,” Presler said.

Luchansky said he also prefers a smaller setting where performers can easily see the audience and feel them.

“The music recital hall here at Sacramento state, for example, is perfect,” Luchansky said.

On Tuesday the Sun Quartet performed many pieces at the “Faculty and Friends Gala,” including Dmitri Shostakovich’s dark, yet expressive “String Quartet No. 8 in C minor.” 

Jordan Riturban can be reached at [email protected]