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An international music sensation.
A fusion of classical and contemporary music on both traditional and electric strings. With the 2024 release of their eighth album "ROMANI: The Untold Story" they charted at #1 on the Classical Album Billboard charts. Their 2022 release of "Love Always" charted at #2 on the Classical Crossover Album and the Classical Album Billboard charts. DSQ's contemporary interpretations continue to expand their passionate following on Pandora, Spotify, and YouTube. DSQ performs intimately as a quartet or with a full accompaniment of drums, guitar, and piano.
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DSQ is referred to as “Bach meets Bon Jovi” and is compared to artists like Lindsey Stirling, Vitamin String Quartet, Brooklyn Duo and 2Cellos. They use both traditional and electric strings performing as a quartet with the full accompaniment of drums and guitar and are known for their eclectic renditions of everything from Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine” to Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” to their collaboration, “You Are The Reason,” with The Piano Guys. DSQ has performed for Presidents Obama and Bush, with superstars like Ed Sheeran, Luke Combs and Ashley McBryde, at the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACM Awards), for NBA and NFL organizations and their cover of Katy Perry’s “Firework” was featured on the most recent season of American Idol. Brands like Cartier, Delta, LinkedIn and more seek out the one-of-a-kind quartet, as did Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton who requested DSQ as the entertainment for their July 2021 wedding. DSQ is also featured on the 2023 GRAMMY-nominated album, “The Passenger” by Cheryl B. Engelhardt. The core group is composed of violist Ion Zanca, violinists Valory Hight and Melissa Priller, and bassist Young Heo.
Keep up with Dallas String Quartet on their Website, Spotify, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.
ION ZANCA
PRODUCER & VIOLIST
Ion Zanca is the principal and founder of the Dallas String Quartet. Since moving to the U.S. from Romania in 2002, DSQ has become a household name to many. In October 2022, Zanca charted at #2 on the Classical Album and Classical Crossover Album Billboard Charts with DSQ's latest album, "Love Always." Under Zanca’s tutelage, The group has played for multiple sitting U.S. presidents, the NFL, the NBA, performed at the wedding of music legends Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton, released a collaboration with The Piano Guys, charted on Billboard, and acquired over 50 million streams on Spotify. As of November 2021, the group has more than 600 million streams on Pandora, 6.2 Million views on YouTube, and had over 5.8 million listeners on Spotify. They are often compared to The Piano Guys, Vitamin String Quartet and Lindsey Stirling. They have also appeared on numerous national media outlets such as ESPN, NBC, and CW 33.
Zanca himself has earned a reputation nationwide as a prolific performer, composer, and producer. His talents as a versatile violist have been celebrated on the classical stage as well as on the jazz and contemporary music scene. Hailing from a long lineage of musicians, he is a voting member of The Recording Academy and holds a graduate degree in Music Performance from Southern Methodist University where he studied with former principle of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Ellen Rose. He currently resides in Dallas with his wife, Estera, and his son Julian.
MELISSA PRILLER
VIOLINIST
Melissa Priller is a professional violinist experienced in many playing styles with a passion for performing and a virtuosic flare that electrifies stages across the country. Playing classical and electric violin, Melissa joined DSQ in 2013 and has recorded a number of albums and singles with the group. Melissa is featured on DSQ's #1 Billboard charting album "ROMANI: The Untold Story, as well as DSQ's #2 Billboard charting album Love Always (2022), A Very Merry Christmas With Dallas String Quartet (2019), DSQ Live in Concert (2018), and DSQ (2016). In addition, Melissa is featured in many of DSQ's music videos.
Melissa attended Southern Methodist University on scholarship. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance and a Minor in Arts Entrepreneurship in 2016.
Melissa has performed for Presidents, NBA and NFL teams, opened for artists such as Kenny G, performed celebrity weddings, and soloed with the Irving Symphony. She currently lives in Dallas, Texas, where she maintains an active performance schedule with DSQ.
Valory Hight
VIOLINIST
Virginia-native violinist Valory Hight has forged a reputation as an exceptionally versatile musician. Although classically trained, Valory has collaborated with artists of many different genres including the Dallas String Quartet, grammy-winning gospel artist Kirk Franklin and contemporary Christian-singer Lauren Daigle. At age 25, Valory has performed on stages such as Carnegie Hall and David Geffen Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, TN, and Rudolfinum in Prague, Czech Republic.
Deeply passionate about collaboration, Valory has had the pleasure of performing with such prominent musicians as Paul Neubauer, Peter Wiley, Peter Serkin, Dawn Upshaw, the Escher Quartet, Aaron Boyd, Chad Hoopes, the Viano Quartet, and members from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, among others.
An advocate of community engagement and music education, Valory currently tours with pianist and composer, Eric Genuis, who has a non-profit called “Concerts for Hope” where they play in prisons, schools, nursing homes, and homeless shelters across the country. Valory is also a devoted teacher and is on faculty at Zhen Music and Arts Institute, and Rockwall School of Music in Dallas, Texas. She also served as a chamber music coach and private lesson teacher at the Annie Moses Summer Music Festival and Credo Chamber Music Festival.
Valory received her bachelor's degree in 2019 at Bard College and Conservatory where she studied with Shmuel Ashkenasi and Weigang Li. She completed Her Master’s Degree in May of 2021 at Southern Methodist University where she studied with Emanuel Borok and Aaron Boyd. Currently, she is in the Performer’s Diploma program as a recipient of the Meadow’s Artistic Scholarship at Southern Methodist University studying with Alexander Sitkovetsky.
YOUNG HEO
BASS
Young Heo is a professional jazz bassist based in Dallas, Texas. Young had the opportunity to play in a professional setting with Ellis Marsalis, Adonis Rose, Delfaeyo Marsalis, Stefan Karlsson, and Bernard Wright, and recorded over twenty albums including One O’clock Lab Band 2013.
In 2011, Young was accepted on scholarship into the graduate jazz program at the University of North Texas. At the North Texas, Young performed with school’s top ensembles including the Two O’clock Lab Band and the Grammy-nominated One O’clock Lab Band. While in the band, he had opportunities to play with such players as Peter Erskine, Bob Moses, Mike Stern, and many other jazz artists around the world. Young was awarded by UNT music faculty as the Outstanding Graduate Jazz Studies Student for 2013.
Since the graduation from UNT, Young has been very busy with performing and teaching in Dallas. Currently he teaches at Collin College, Tarrant County Community College, Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, and Southwestern Baptist Seminary.
JOEL WHITE
GUITARIST
Joel White is a professional guitarist in the DFW area. Originally from Houston, Texas, Joel began his musical studies on piano at age 6 and guitar at age 11. Joel attended the University of North Texas where he earned a degree in jazz performance. While at the university of North Texas, Joel studied with Jazz Guitar Professor Davy Mooney, and Arranging and Composition Professor Rich Derosa. As a member of the Grammy-Nominated One O’ Clock lab band, Joel performed with guest artists Maria Schneider, Gary Smulyan, Regina Carter, and performed at the Inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship at Lincoln Center for judges Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, UNT Professor Almunus Tanya Darby, Jeff Hamilton, and Gary Smulyan. Two of Joel’s original compositions ‘Consumed’ and ‘Yet so far’ are featured on the band’s recording Lab 2020. Joel was also a member of the UNT Jazz Singers, which received a Downbeat magazine student ensemble award in 2019.
Joel currently maintains an busy schedule as a performer, arranger, and private instructor, playing across Texas and nationwide with the Dallas String Quartet.
EFREN GUZMAN JR.
PERCUSSIONIST
Efren Guzman Jr. ("Chiquis") stands out among his peers for his amazing flexibility and impeccable rhythm. He is equally gifted in all musical styles: classical, pops, Broadway, Latin, Jazz, Big Band, studio recordings, etc. His finesse, elegance and command of all kinds of percussion instruments, make him truly unique in the world of music. A complete musician, his piano and composition gifts are added attributes to an already stellar career.
Today, Efren performs regularly with Dallas best jazz players, such as John Adams, Brian Piper, Grammy nominated guitarist Russ Hewitt and the Dallas String Quartet among others. He is also drummer for the Plano and Irving Symphony orchestras and principal percussionist of the San Angelo Symphony orchestra. During the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he has also performed as a featured soloist with the Plano Symphony orchestra, the Dallas Pops orchestra, featuring Grammy award winner Kenny G, guitarist and recording artist Michael Thompson (guitarist for Cher, Reba McEntire, Neil Diamond, Michael Jackson and Celine Dion), the world acclaimed Canadian Brass as well as a special concert at the 2014 Comic Convention in Columbus, Ohio with "The Brehms" jazz ensemble as well as participating in the 2014 International Jazz Festival in Catalina Island in California. In 2015 he also performed with the internationally renowned Mariachi Vargas, "Time for Three" and the legendary Doc Severinsen. His latest CD recording with jazz guitarist/composer Andy Sparandeo will hit the market in 2018 and his latest videos "Hello" and "Despacito" with the Dallas String Quartet are available on YouTube.
Future engagements include a US tour with the Dallas String Quartet during 2017 as well as a new appointment as percussionist/drummer for singer Javier Aguilar.