Aska Maret to perform as part of Underground Jazz series this weekend

Scout Hall will welcome violinist Aska Maret into its Underground Jazz series this weekend. Maret and her quartet will fill the hall Saturday, Jan.18, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Maret's violin career spans continents. Using music as a universal love language and embodies the power to connect through it.

“Sometimes I vibrate with intense passion, shaking the listener out of our set patterns of being,” Maret said in a news release. “At other times, I slow toward silence, soothing and caressing our common sorrows. And sometimes I find myself filling the soundscape around me with sheer vibrance and delight.”

Maret was born in Tokyo and grew up among a family of visual artists. Starting at 4, she began studying piano and violin, according to the release. At 15, Maret won the grand prize in the quartet category at an international competition in London and went on to study violin and composition at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts.

She has a reputation as an artist who transcends genres and has led her to collaborate with contemporary musicians, film composers and experimental sound artists, the release states. Her versatility and willingness to push the boundaries of classical music have earned her accolades from critics and peers alike.

Maret is an advocate for music education and cultural exchange when she is not performing, having led workshops in underserved communities around the globe, believing that every child deserves access to the transformative power of music, according to the release.

“Music gave me my voice,” she said. “I want to help others find theirs.”

Maret is preparing her next world tour called Odyssey, inspired by her travels and encounters. Odyssey is a musical journey through cultures and time, blending classical masterpieces with folk traditions and contemporary pieces.

For more information and to buy tickets, click here.