What would "Bridgerton" be without "Vitamin String Quartet?"
The group has set the tempo for the Regency-era Netflix series since the very start.
And you might not know it, but the musical project has been around since 1999.
Cellist Derek Stein has been with VSQ for 14 years this November.
"And to see it go from when we were playing maybe three or four things a year to now going on tours and having all these one-offs all over the place all the time, it feels like kind of a combination of an overnight success and a long trudge towards that, and our inclusion in "Bridgerton" really helped us kind of get over that hump," Stein said.
And violinist Rachel Grace said the TV show has opened a whole new world for VSQ.
"Because of Bridgerton and the music that we were already making, we're showing people whether they're young or old, whatever age they are, that there's so many possibilities with music. And I think it's such a precious thing to share. And then for us, obviously, it brought so much fun because we get to tour and travel and share the music that we love to play with our audiences," she said.
They play classical crossover arrangements of songs by Prince, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and now, Duran Duran.
Grace added "if you would be in the audience, let's say you would come to three different shows, you would notice that none of the shows we play them the same, so every night it's a little bit different because we're playing around with the music, trying out different stuff individually as well together, and it's just a very fun way for us to keep growing as musicians, and for us, it's as much an adventure as for the audience, which is really, really fun."
Stein said Vitamin String Quartet is based in Los Angeles and features a cast of rotating musicians. But it's expanding to the East Coast to meet musical demand.
On Wednesday, Sept. 30th, Vitamin String Quartet will continue its tour with Girl Named Tom at Tampa's Straz Center. You can find out more at the Straz website.
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