...to introduce, for the very first time...

I've heard those words hundreds of times. 

          "And now it is my pleasure to introduce, for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs....!"

​It's always a wonderful moment. Two people becoming one. The quartet starts to play, and the happy couple walks back down the aisle into married life.

I feel a bit like that now.

This is the beginning of Queen City Strings. My name is Ted Smeltz, and I'm the founder. 

For years, I've been playing string quartets in Buffalo, NY and Erie, PA. Sometimes with my previous quartet, sometimes with other quartets. (I currently play or sub in six quartets, including QCS; the life of a gigging musician is a busy one!) My previous quartet was the Presto String Quartet, and we played together for ten years in the Buffalo area. We played weddings, ceremonies, cocktail hours, corporate events, you name it, we played it. We played concerts, coffee houses, brunches. We were busy, and it was good.

But life intrudes. Over the years, we had people come in and out of the group for various reasons. One had to take a sabbatical while working on a doctorate. One of our founding members graduated with a degree in pharmacy science, and got a really good job in Delaware. It's a little long for a commute, Delaware. Another of our founders had shoulder problems and couldn't play as much as before. Eventually, it just became time to end. It's sad, and I'm going to miss those times together. I was one of the founding members and now it's over.

But as something ends, another begins. When it became obvious even to me that Presto was going to close, I decided to begin Queen City Strings. 

Queen City is going to be the string quartet that I'll lead for the rest of my career, if I'm lucky. (Not that I'll stop playing in other quartets; heavens, no! Gigging musician here!) I'll be able to bring my two-plus decades of string quartet and gig experience to the table, and make Queen City Strings something special. We're going to make good music in Buffalo, and hopefully beyond. We're going to grow and evolve, and gain followers and fans. And one day, we hope to play for you.

I have the honor to introduce, for the very first time, Queen City Strings.