On Sunday, January 8, the widely renowned Boston Cello Quartet came to Groton to give a concert, much to the delight of Groton residents who had come to see the performance. Director of Instrumental Music Mary Ann Lanier worked tirelessly to bring this performance to Groton; she booked the group two years in advance.

The Cello Quartet’s performance constituted a part of this year’s Gammons Concert Series, which is organized by Ms. Lanier. “We present 4 – 6 professional concerts per year,” she said. “These concerts help to educate the students and the Groton community about the great variety of musical expression.” Most students’ attendance is optional but encouraged. For students who take music lessons for credit, though, attendance is compulsory as part of curriculum because, in the words of Ms. Lanier, “they benefit from the opportunity to see the pros in action.”

The Boston Cello Quartet is widely regarded. Founded in 2010 by four cellists from the Boston Symphony Orchestra – Blaise Dejardin, Adam Esbensen, Mihail Jojatu, and Alexandre Lecarme – the group has since garnered great esteem in the musical community. Ms. Lanier, too, praised the group: “They play with amazing technical skill and they are very engaging to watch because they have fun!”

The group is unique in its eagerness to explore the potential of their instrument. The cellists perform a vast assortment of music: classical music, jazz, tango, contemporary works, and even comic medleys. In addition, cellist Blaise Dejardin regularly introduces new arrangements into their range of work. In their most recent album, The Latin Project, the players used unorthodox techniques to evoke a variety of sounds and emotions from their instruments. Their pieces for the album hail from a variety of countries – Cuba, Argentina, and Brazil, to name a few.

Because of its wide range of genres and methods, The Boston Cello Quartet succeeds in satisfying all types of audiences from those who enjoy classical cello music to those with a more contemporary taste. Gammons was packed on Sunday, and the audience responded enthusiastically to both the upbeat music and the animated manner in which it was performed. The quartet played a selection of songs from The Latin Project. It was one of the most anticipated and successful performances in the Gammons Recital Series’ recent history.