In December 2022, PCM adult violin student D’Arcy Sloane was preparing for her recital and had the idea to bring in her two friends from PCM’s Adult String Ensemble (ASE) – Rose Meyer and Barbara George – and their friend Penny Garcia from Second Strings Orchestra, to accompany her on a Mozart piece. The combination of talented musicians and warm, passionate personalities created such a fun and beautiful space for rehearsal and performance that they all knew it had to continue.

By early 2023, they took a string quartet class with Erika Walczak and quickly became known as the Heart Strings Quartet. They now have laughter-filled rehearsals every Wednesday, and have performed for family and friends at retirement homes, PCM, and fundraisers, as well as the Altadena Town and Country Club up until January 2025 when it was lost to the Eaton Fire. They have created a lifelong bond of music and friendship.

Read on to meet the members and learn how they have each been inspired musically, why they love playing together, and some of their favorite moments.

This interview was conducted on 7/15/24 and has been edited for length and clarity.

D’Arcy Sloane (DS), 1st violin, is the CEO of Meefog, an engineering/manufacturing company that produces custom high-pressure water fogging systems, and a mother to four children. She grew up listening to her parents’ classical music records, inspiring her to learn the violin at age 8 until her first year of college. 12 years ago, she was inspired to play once again and, 3 years ago, she joined PCM’s adult string ensemble class and started taking private lessons with Erika Walczak. “Erika’s methods have brought me to a new level of playing and I love studying with her,” says D’Arcy.

Rose Meyer (RM), 2nd violin, is a retired accounting/data analyst for the Los Angeles County Health Department. While she has been taking piano and clarinet lessons since her youth, she only started violin two years prior to retirement. She shares that “Learning violin is one of the hardest challenges I have ever encountered, but I’m curious and willing to learn and have fun.” She is a mother to three daughters who all took lessons at PCM and now have musically-passionate children of their own. Her husband, Richard Meyer, composes for secondary school orchestras and is an honorary member of the quartet as a periodic coach or clarinet player.

Penny Garcia (PG), viola, grew up in Pasadena with a large, musical family, where all of her siblings and parents were somehow involved with an instrument. She’s played the viola since 4th grade in a number of different groups around Pasadena, including the Pasadena High School orchestra and PCC community orchestra. She received her B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis on music from CSUN. She’s now a member of the Second Strings Orchestra, the Crown City Symphony, and the Symphony of the Verdugos at Glendale College. She worked as an AT&T operator for 17 years and now works at HomeGoods.

Barbara George (BG), cello, is a retired elementary school teacher and elementary music director. She’s grateful she had the opportunity to excite so many young children about music. In her childhood, she was surrounded by music because of her parent’s love for it. She took piano in her youth, but it was always a dream of hers to play cello. When she turned 48, that dream came true!

What do you like about playing in a quartet? What have been some of your favorite moments or pieces you’ve played?
DS: Each instrument plays an important role in a string quartet and the many voices blend to make such beautiful music! I love the vast repertoire that has been written for quartets. Performances are always a highlight. We’ve played as a group for charity events, home tours, social gatherings, and at retirement homes. We cherish the camaraderie our quartet has developed, and we socialize outside of playing along with our husbands. I absolutely love playing Mozart pieces with the quartet. Rose’s husband plays clarinet, and he joined us for a performance of a movement from Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet in A Major. This was one of my all-time favorite performances. We are all passionate about Dvorak’s quartet music. It’s beautiful, challenging, and fun to play, so I hope we do more of that.

RM: It was serendipity, our personalities meld so well together; we laugh and rehearse every Wednesday afternoon in my home. We have assembled a Gig Book with over 80 tunes and have performed at the Pasadena Symphony’s Holiday Look-In Tour, The Kensington retirement home in Sierra Madre, the Altadena Town and Country Club, the Assistance League in Arcadia, and in Barrett Hall at PCM. We received periodic coaching from Erika Walczak and Simone Vitucci, teachers at PCM, and more recently, Richard Meyer. This quartet and the Adult String Ensemble are both my introductions to chamber music and I’m loving it. I have begun listening to podcasts about chamber music as well, to become better educated. I’m fascinated by Mozart, and I try to play his compositions with sensitivity. I really enjoy playing the 2nd violin; I love that harmony. As D’Arcy mentioned, playing Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet was a new experience for all of us. For a time, our quartet was playing with a French Horn player as well. I’ve seen other small ensemble rehearsals, and I see what happens when there is a strong personality. Witnessing that is not pleasant for me. However, in the Heart Strings Quartet, it’s not like that at all. We all collaborate and rehearse easily.

PG: What I like about playing in a quartet together is that we have so much fun! Also, we get to choose what we do instead of someone else deciding for us, as in larger groups. We’ve been fortunate to get some really fun gigs thanks to my three partners! My favorite gig was at Kensington Retirement Residence in May. We called it “Mozart in May” We performed all Mozart pieces including the Clarinet quintet in A major with Richard Meyer on clarinet.

What are the differences between playing as a soloist versus in a quartet?
DS: Playing as a soloist can be very rewarding, but it’s also challenging. My teacher, Erika, has been working with me to play some solo pieces and encouraging me to memorize the music. The last solo performance I did forget some of the notes. It was nerve-wracking, but a good experience to train myself to keep on going despite the mistake. Playing first violin with a quartet has its own challenges. It takes a sense of calm to really listen to the other players and fit in well with the notes, timing, and dynamics.

RM: I took private violin lessons for about 10 years with Sharon Harman at PCM. Sharon was very encouraging and I progressed, but I didn’t like playing solos for her as she listened. Often I would have her play my part with me or accompany me on the piano. I have really grown to enjoy public performances through being in ASE and the Heart Strings Quartet. My confidence has soared and I have become familiar with searching out familiar faces in the audience.

PG: The differences between playing solo versus a quartet are huge. I prefer playing with a group anyway and it requires knowing your part while listening to the other three players. It is a nice change in comparison with playing with large orchestras. We rely on each other for cues instead of a conductor.

BG: I much prefer playing in a group than as a soloist. I love the camaraderie and the teamwork. I hope Heart Strings Quartet will continue to play together around town. We’re a special group for sure!

Anything else you would like to add?
DS: The music community for adult amateur musicians in Pasadena is incredible. I value the many opportunities to play for people at all levels. I’m very grateful that Pasadena Conservatory of Music has been building the adult studies string program. It’s a wonderful place to learn, and a wonderful group of people to learn with.

RM: All four of us in the Heart Strings Quartet are willing to learn and willing to perform. We already have a few gigs requesting us in the Fall.

PG: I’d like to say thank you to PCM and Erica Walczak for helping our quartet become what it is today!