Music with Meaning: Montclair’s Trillium String Quartet Hits All the Right Notes
Graduate musicians at Montclair State University combine top-tier training with community impact through residency program, partnership
Posted in: Arts, University
As the Trillium String Quartet tunes their instruments, the sound draws veterans into the community room at Valley Brook Village for Veterans in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Harriel Lacy, a retired U.S. Navy veteran, pauses to greet Montclair State University’s John J. Cali School of Music students, sharing that he once played violin himself. Without missing a beat, violinist Sommer Altier offers to let him play hers later.
The quartet members are part of the Cali Collective Ensemble, an immersive two-year program where graduate students earn an Artist’s Diploma Certificate while developing real-world performance experience. The Ensemble consists of seven students, including the Trillium String Quartet. Montclair’s Graduate Quartet Residency is among fewer than 15 such programs at prominent music schools in the country.
“Any string quartet like ours is looking at about five different programs, and Montclair is one of them, and that’s how we found this,” says violinist Judith Kim, a Seattle native.
Trillium is made up of violinists Kim and Altier, violist Sydney Link of Cincinnati, and cellist Amelia Smerz of Chicago. All now living in the New York City area, they decided to pursue the immersive opportunity Montclair offers.
“The aim is to prepare string quartets for professional careers through intensive study and performances,” says Cali School Director Anthony Mazzocchi, a GRAMMY®-nominated educator.
What Sets Montclair’s Graduate Quartet Residency Apart?
One quartet is selected every two years for intensive study and performance opportunities. Program highlights include:
- Dedicated quartet studio and weekly private lessons
- Full tuition, including $7,000 annual stipend
- Regular coaching with faculty and quartet in residence
- Artist’s Diploma Certificate – A post-master’s credential centered on real-world experience
- Outreach-Focused Curriculum – Students may perform in prisons, shelters, and veterans’ facilities through the Music for All Seasons partnership
- Access to Cali Immersive Residency – Opportunities to perform with world-renowned artists, such as 19-time GRAMMY®-winning banjoist Béla Fleck or the two-time GRAMMY®-winning Attacca Quartet, gaining insight from guest professionals
“There are not that many programs where you can just be a quartet and that’s your focus,” says Smerz. “We got to play with Béla Fleck, who is a great musician. Those kinds of experiences are cool, and they have stretched us and given us a lot of opportunities that we wouldn’t have otherwise.”
A Performance Partnership with Music for All Seasons
Through a unique partnership with Music for All Seasons (MFAS) — a nonprofit connecting professional musicians with underserved audiences – the students perform in nontraditional settings, from juvenile detention centers to shelters and veterans communities. The partnership is in keeping with Montclair’s commitment to academic excellence and as a public-serving institution.
“We’re bringing the music to the people,” says Altier. “We really love when we get to bring music to places where people may not get it as often. We always learn that people find it very touching, and seeing those smiles is a big part of what fulfills us.”
Performances like the one at Valley Brook Village allow students to connect one-on-one with their audience. “This is super personal,” says violist Link. “We could speak to each one of our audience members if we wanted to.”
MFAS Executive Director Rena Fruchter says MFAS has a relationship with Valley Brook Village, where the organization has also provided veterans with therapeutic songwriting workshops. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for the veterans to experience the students who were part of the partnership,” she says.
A Legacy of Connection
The partnership with Music for All Seasons has deep roots. Mazzocchi first performed with MFAS while in a trombone quartet at the Manhattan School of Music. Actor Dudley Moore was a major supporter of the nonprofit at the time, and Mazzocchi’s quartet played at a birthday party for him, as well as his funeral. His MFAS experience was formative, he says.
“I learned to communicate with so many different humans in various settings,” Mazzochi says. “It set me up in profound ways as a musician, educator and leader.”
So, when MFAS approached Montclair about a partnership, it was a no-brainer. “I wanted our students to have the same experiences I did at their age,” Mazzochi says.
Fruchter agrees that the program goes far beyond technical performance training.
“Most students in a performing arts program work primarily on their musical skills. What makes this program different is that it expands the students’ horizons,” she says. “This is a mentorship program, and these appearances are part of their educational curriculum.”
MFAS pairs students with mentors, audiences and opportunities that broaden their understanding of music’s role in society.
Diane Michaels, a harpist who has performed on Broadway, in Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, and with Tony Bennett at Caesar’s Palace in Atlantic City, mentors the quartet. She offers advice and feedback on the musical program and engages with the audience. “Trillium comes to the collaboration possessing a host of skills beautifully suited to fulfilling the MFAS mission, and it has been a pleasure mentoring them.”
Looking to the Future
The Trillium String Quartet plans to stay together long-term. Next year, they’ll teach at a chamber music program in Vermont. “We want to be a quartet for the rest of our lives,” says Smerz, “performing and traveling and playing in as many different places for as many different people as we possibly can.”
At Valley Brook, the impact of the quartet’s performance was clear. One veteran pretend-directed slower classical pieces, some tapped hands and feet to livelier jazz tunes, such as “Take the A Train” and several sang along to “Hallelujah” and “Amazing Grace.”
“It was wonderful,” says Lacy. “My favorite part was ‘Amazing Grace,’ which is why I requested it the second time.”
Photos by University Photographer Mike Peters.
Interested in Studying Music at Montclair?
If you’re a music student who wants world-class training and the opportunity to make a real impact, graduate programs at the John J. Cali School of Music could be for you.
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