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Tallā Rouge was established by the fiery Persian-American & Cajun-American violists, Aria Cheregosha & Lauren Spaulding, under the mentorship of Roger Tapping at The Juilliard School, Matthew Young of the San Francisco Symphony, & Karoly Schranz of the Takács Quartet. While locked together during the 2020 pandemic, Aria and Lauren found freedom to bring their unique musical voices & intense passion for chamber music to the viola-duo repertoire through a shared ability to delve into the melancholic lyricism of the viola while bringing the overshadowed instrument into a virtuosic and soloistic light. Tallā Rouge made their debut virtually with “Music For Food” in 2020 under the direction of Kim Kashkashian.
Spaulding, a Yellow Barn musician and Oberlin Alumni, has been recognized by the renowned Nobuko Imai for her unmatched pallet of color, and is praised for her “Kreisler-esque” style — weaving her poignant musicality and immersive stage presence into her classical & contemporary performances. Lauren, formerly having studied Sitar, is passionate about capturing the authenticity of world-wide folk music on the viola, especially the percussive virtuosity of Cajun & Creole dance music, a favorite of her sulfur-mining Gran’daddy Leger in the bayous of southern Louisiana. Similarly, Cheregosha, a NEC & Juilliard Alumni, Fischoff medalist, and student of the legendary Kim Kashkashian, grew up listening to the sounds of the Middle East through her father, Bahram, who moved to America before the 1978 Iranian Revolution. As a first generation Persian-American, Aria’s performances capture her deep longing to connect with her Iranian identity. Isolated from Iran post Revolution, her effortless lyricism and delicately spun musical beauty echos the reverence and spirituality of traditional Iranian music.
Together, Tallā Rouge brings their poetic Persian & uncouth Cajun heritage to the stage, challenging the standards of the viola through their unyielding curiosity. Spurred by a shared desire to push the boundaries of viola playing, Aria and Lauren breathe life into under-represented music for their under-represented instrument by actively pursuing works by living composers that are challenging the limitations of viola performance or the conceptualization of classical music at large. Scott Slapin, composer and violist of the Slapin-Solomon Duo; Sabah Aminikia, a Persian composer who gained his acclaim by working with the Kronos Quartet; David Rimelis, traditional fiddler, folk-lorist, and composer; and Meredith Monk, a LGBTQ+ avant-garde artist who has generously arranged “Hocket” for Tallā Rouge, are among some of the living composers who have been included in Tallā Rouge’s repertoire. Good music is good music, sans genre, and Tallā Rouge brings refreshing accessibility through their dedication to outreach and intimate performances, all while reimagining the classical works and performance traditions of Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms.