Invoke string quartet kicks off Coastal Concerts 2026 performances

Coastal Concerts welcomed the new year Jan. 10 with a dynamic performance by the acclaimed string quartet Invoke at Bethel United Methodist Church in Lewes.

Performing a program titled American Voices, Invoke captivated a large and enthusiastic audience with its genre-blending approach to chamber music. Invoke is known for expanding the traditional string quartet sound by incorporating elements of bluegrass, Appalachian music, jazz and minimalism.

Creating a richly textured and distinctly American sound, each musician brings unusual versatility to the ensemble: violinist Nick Monopoli also plays banjo, Zacharia Matteson performs on a five-string violin, violist Karl Mitze adds mandolin and Geoff Manyin performs on a handcrafted, six-string cello.

The program featured works by William Grant Still, Florence Price, Duke Ellington and contemporary composer Jocelyn C. Chambers, alongside original pieces by Invoke. Highlights included Ellington’s “Sophisticated Lady” and Chambers’ “Enigma for the Night,” which brought the concert to a close with a standing ovation.

The afternoon began with a pre-concert Performance Insights lecture by Lani Spahr, a renowned oboist and former Coastal Concerts board member, who drew connections between architecture and classical music. A flute quartet from the Rehoboth Concert Band also performed, adding to the afternoon’s celebration of American music.

The Coastal Concerts season will continue with a performance by WindSync quintet at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 14. The group includes founding member and flutist Garrett Hudson, oboist Noah Kay, clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson, bassoonist Kara LaMoure, and French horn player Anni Hochhalter, Windsync founding member and executive director. The concert will be preceded by a Performance Insights lecture from Lani Spahr.