December 8, 2023
Broward Center for the Performing Arts | www.BrowardCenter.org
By Savannah Whaley
Called “New York’s Buffest, Poppiest String Quartet” who are “more than mere hunks,” by New York Magazine, Well-Strung unwraps A Well-Strung Christmas in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center on Friday, December 8, 2023, at 8 PM.
The men holding these different kinds of holiday bows are Edmund Bagnell (1st violin), Chris Marchant (2nd violin), Daniel Shevlin (cello), and Trevor Wadleigh (viola).
Together they deliver a unique blend of vocals and strings as they fuse classical and pop music that make the holidays sparkle. The program features cherished traditional melodies as well as pop classics.
In a review of the concert in Manhattan’s Feinstein’s/54 Below Cabaret, BroadwayWorld.com noted, “With A Well-Strung Christmas, the charming foursome gives plenty of reasons for us all to put aside our copies of New Kids on the Block’s Merry, Merry Christmas and ‘N SYNC’s Home For Christmas . . . Each member of Well-Strung sings and plays with effervescing warmth, making the holidays that much brighter.”
Broadway producer Mark Cortale conceived the group with Marchant over brunch in Provincetown, Massachusetts, 14 years ago. At the time, Marchant was splitting his time between doing a show and playing his violin on the street for a little extra income.
Following their debut show at Ars Nova in NYC, the group quickly became a Provincetown hit at The Art House and it wasn’t long before they started getting national attention.
The New York Times heralded its arrival declaring, “Well-Strung — a talented quartet of men who sing and play string instruments — got its start in Provincetown and brilliantly fuses pop and classical music from Madonna to Beethoven.”
The group has since performed from the House of Blues in New Orleans to the Leicester Square Theatre in London. As a testament to its broad appeal, Well-Strung has appeared on The Today Show three times and with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live.
And, of course, there was “Team Well-Strung” as Marchant and Wadleigh participated in season 30 of The Amazing Race, becoming fan favorites as they completed six legs trekking through Iceland, Belgium, Morocco, France and the Czech Republic.
The members also have a celebrity fan base with several YouTube videos introducing the ensemble in 2012. Their hit music video “Chelsea’s Mom” that they made with Randy Rainbow led to a live performance for Hillary Clinton. They were invited to perform at the Vatican in Rome and at a gala for President Obama in 2016.
Proving that their stage presence translates into musical presents in their December concert, Well-Strung has held their own performing with Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris, Audra McDonald and Deborah Voigt, among others.
After its self-named first recording, Well-Strung’s second album, entitled POPssical, debuted at no. 8 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart. Its third album, Under The Covers, debuted four places higher on that chart and at no. 3 on the magazine’s Classical Chart.
The group’s releases feature classical and pop mash-ups such as Green Day’s “21 Guns”/Pachelbel’s “Canon;” Radiohead’s “Creep”/“Ave Maria;” Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”/Vivaldi’s “Winter;” and Taylor Swift’s “Mean”/Aaron Copeland’s “Rodeo.” The ensemble also puts their mark on such pop hits as Britney Spears’ “Tonic,” Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep,” The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” and Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
Just as the group brings classical music to younger audiences, they are committed to helping young musicians and work with school orchestras, ensembles and soloists. They listen to students perform and also play their own selections and answer questions about the music industry.
In addition to its members’ talents, there is also the ensemble’s hot looks and Marchant admits that there is sometimes pressure to be buff. Speaking to New York Magazine he said, “I mean, of course we want to be told we’re good-looking, and that’s fantastic. Every band wants sex appeal, and we’re fine with that, as long as the music comes first.”
With their talent and boy band vibe, it’s little wonder the New York Daily News said Well-Strung is “the hottest thing with a bow since Jennifer Lawrence in The Hunger Games.”
Now they’re here to bring the holiday cheer for one night only at the Broward Center in a concert presented as part of the Allegro Fort Lauderdale Mosaic Series. Tickets are available at BrowardCenter.org, Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 954.462.0222 and in person at the Broward Center’s AutoNation Box Office.
