MEET Carya
The Carya String Quartet, now entering its seventh season, strives to create community through accessible performances of chamber music from around the world. Drawn together by Houston’s international arts culture, the members - Laura Cividino (Italy), Ariya Tai (Malaysia), Rainey Weber (Texas), and Hannah Deplazes (North Dakota) – form the only all-women string quartet in the Houston area. The quartet highlights the contributions of women in music and the arts, both historical and current, through community concerts and educational performances. The Carya String Quartet’s 2024-2025 season, “A Sense of Place,” will explore the influence of physical and abstract places on composers from the classical era to today. Among the composers featured this season are more familiar names such as Antonin Dvorak, Hugo Wolf and Ernest Bloch, but also less familiar ones such as Nancy Dalberg and Florence Price. The season also highlights contemporary composers Sally Beamish, Gwyneth Walker, Margaret Brouwer and Melinda Wagner. In addition to their regular season, the Carya String Quartet has launched several projects including “Meditations on Bach,” which paired Bach chorales with works of visual art and gained international attention, as well as “Inspirations,” an interactive and educational series focused on exploring how and why music is created and what can inspire composers, performers, and audience members alike. This past summer Carya was the guest ensemble at the Texas New Music Festival in Houston.
Formed in 2018, the Carya String Quartet draws its name from the official state tree of Texas: the pecan tree, “Carya Illinoinensis”.
Laura Cividino, Violin
Born in 1983, violinist Laura Cividino received her violin diploma in 2004 with prof. Diego Masutti and piano diploma in 2005 with prof. Ugo Cividino, both at the J. Tomadini Conservatory of Music in Udine, Italy. She continued her studies in Klagenfurt, Austria, with Professor Helfried Fister and in March 2008 received a violin diploma from that school. She graduated with a Master in Violin Performance with Professor Andrzey Grabiec at the University of Houston, Moores School of Music in May 2012. In February 2014 she received her viola diploma with Luca Morassutti at the G. Tartini Conservatory of Music in Trieste, Italy.
During her career she has performed in various cities in Italy, Austria, France, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, China, Colombia, Chile and the United States. She has been a member of the OAO (Orchester Akademie Ossiach), and of the SFK (Slovenia, Friuli, Kaerntner) in Austria, the Piccola Accademia in Italy, Clear Lake Symphony, Houston Sinfonietta, the Moores School of Music Orchestras, YOA (Youth Orchestra of the Americas) in 2012, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, “Mercury – the orchestra redefined,” Bach Society Houston, Austin Baroque Orchestra and the Symphony of Southeast Texas in the United States. She took part at the masterclasses of Gustav Mayer, Helfried Fister, Rainer Kussmaul, Igor Ozim, Andrzej Grabiec, Giovanni Guglielmo, Lorenzo Fava, Isabelle Ballot, Rainer Honeck, Joseph Silverstein, Stephen Shipps, Lucie Robert and, for chamber music, Alois Posch, Sean Y. Wang, Domenico Nordio, Alberto Vianello, James Dunham, the Debussy Quartet, and Timothy Hester.
She is currently teaching and freelancing in Houston as a violinist and a violist. She is also a founding member of the Houston-based Carya String Quartet, a group dedicated to creating community through chamber music concerts and educational programs, which is in its seventh season of activity.
HANNAH DEPLAZES, Cello
Originally from North Dakota, Hannah Deplazes began playing cello at the age of eight with Dr. Erik Anderson of Minot State University. She spent many summers honing her craft at festivals including the Eastman Cello Institute, Dakota Chamber Music, University of Utah Chamber Music Workshop, High Peaks Music Festival, and Texas Music Festival: Orchestral Institute. She has also competed in several competitions like MTNA, the national Jugend Musiziert Wettbewerb, and won two solo competitions which resulted in solo performances with the Minot Symphony Orchestra in 2014 and 2021.
Hannah has extensive performance experience in orchestral, operatic, and chamber music settings from her studies in the United States and Europe. She holds a Masters Degree from University of Houston’s Moore’s School of Music where she studied with Mr. Anthony Kitai. During her time at UH, she had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with many esteemed musicians and was a member of the Tomatz String Quartet.
Alongside performing with the Carya Quartet, Hannah also teaches private lessons. She has three rambunctious sons who love to explore and play outside together with their big dog, Reuben.
Rainey Weber, viola
An active and versatile performer, violist Rainey Weber is based in Houston, Texas, where she is currently the violist of the Carya String Quartet and St. Andrew’s Strings. Highlights from recent seasons include the premiere of Suite Terra Nostra with the Terra Nostra Ensemble at the 14th Annual Latin American Cultural Week in New York City in November of 2019, and performing five of Beethoven’s String Quartets as part of the 2017-2018 Beethoven For All Series with Da Camera Chamber Music and Jazz. Ms. Weber has been a fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center and the Aspen Music Festival and School, and as a founding member of the Judson String Quartet, she served as the violist for the 2014 Quartet-in-Residence Program at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, where she performed, taught privately, and mentored students in the Advanced String Quartet Institute.
Committed to education and community engagement, Ms. Weber has collaborated extensively on the development of educational outreach programs for preschoolers, elementary school students, middle school students, and adults. She also serves as President of the Board for the Houston Viola Society, is a sectional coach and teaching artist for the Houston Youth Symphony, and maintains a private studio of viola and violin students. Ms. Weber has a Masters of Music in viola performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she was a student of Lynne Ramsey. She earned her bachelor’s degree (magna cum laude) at Rice University, under the study of James Dunham.
Ms. Weber plays on modern viola, made by Minnesota luthier, William Bartruff. When she is not performing or teaching, she spends her time with her family, as well as attempting to garden and run.
Ariya Tai, Violin
Violinist Ariya Tai joins the Carya String Quartet in the 2024-2025 season. She has performed extensively throughout the United States, Australia, and her home country, Malaysia. Ms. Tai was the inaugural violin soloist at the Buddy Holly Hall for Arts and Sciences. In addition to subbing with the Arkansas Symphony, she has also appeared as the Assistant Concertmaster of Amarillo Symphony, as a guest violinist for the Permian Basin String Quartet, and as the concertmaster for Strauss’ “Ein Heldenleben” at Texas Music Festival in 2024 . Recently, Ms. Tai won the Texas Music Festival Chamber Music Competition. Past awards include Senior Division Winner of the TexASTA Concerto Competition in 2023 and the winner of Texas Tech Concerto Competition in 2021.
Prior to moving to the United States, Ms. Tai obtained performance diplomas from Trinity-Guildhall London with highest distinction in both piano and violin. Ms. Tai has played in masterclasses with Sibbi Bernhardson, Anthea Kreston, Sally O’Reilly, and chamber music masterclasses with Benjamin Zander. Past summer festivals include the Round Top Festival Institute, Texas Music Festival and Lake City String Academy. Ms. Tai holds degrees from Texas Tech University and Rice University, where her primary teachers include Annie Chalex-Boyle and Paul Kantor.
Currently, Ms. Tai lives in Houston, where she maintains a private studio and performs often with ensembles such as Mercury Chamber Orchestra and other chamber music organizations. An accomplished pianist, she worked with the Dr. William Westney, and served as a studio accompanist for Professor Annie Chalex-Boyle. Violin performances can be heard on public radio and the Sony Classical label.