Vitamin String Quartet Comes to Lexington

The Vitamin String Quartet, known as VSQ, will be coming to Lexington’s Cary Hall on October 3rd as part of their 2025-2026 tour. Since 1999, the group has performed string renditions of hundreds of pop songs, from Adele to Coldplay, which together have been streamed more than two billion times. VSQ has also performed on soundtracks for various films, including Netflix’s Bridgerton and Universal’s The King of Staten Island. The Observer spoke with violinist Rachel Grace.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Q: You talked about on WBUR’s Here and Now about growing up in the rigidity of playing only classical music. Vitamin String Quartet blends classical elements with the energy of pop music. How do you come up with these genre-bending arrangements?

A: Our main arrangers, Jim and Cathy McMillan, are experts at translating music into strings, deciding how to cover vocals, drums, and synthesizers with just four players. Many songs have seven or more instruments, so it’s a challenge to bring it all together. Once we see the arrangement, we experiment — maybe pizzicato becomes arco or we add unique effects. Since we play rock and pop rather than classical, we can be more experimental to capture the essence of the original song.

Q: You have a Billie Eilish album coming out this Friday. I think of her songs as very cinematic and intimate. Does your process of creating these classical renditions change the way you view her music?

A: They give us a new perspective, because when we edit, we look at the music differently. You start discovering new things not only about your own instrument, but also about how we play together as a quartet. If someone has the bass part, for example, it can not just stand alone, it has to merge with the other elements. We experiment to see what works. The arrangements themselves are usually amazing already, but there’s always that difference between notes on paper and how you interpret them.

Q: Your 2025–2026 tour has taken you from the UK to New Hampshire, and then will continue from Lexington back to Europe. What have you most enjoyed on this tour?

A: I can say with some certainty that I speak for all of us: we love the connection with the crowd. Traveling is wonderful, you get to explore new places, but the most magical part is being on stage and feeling that connection with the audience. What is so special about a Vitamin String Quartet show is that you might see a four-year-old and an eighty-year-old in the same audience, each having their own experience, yet both really loving the music. It is amazing to be able to connect with just about anyone out there.

Q: Your music has reached millions worldwide, streaming billions of times on Spotify and sold in the millions of hard copies. How do you see your impact on listeners, and what does that reach mean to you?

A: It is a real honor, and something we are all proud of. Each of us has been involved in crossover music to different degrees. Most of us came from the classical side, but I went into EDM and electric violin early in my career. Tommy has played a lot of hip-hop violin, Derek has done a lot of rock, and Wynton is an incredible, seasoned classical violinist. We all bring different backgrounds.

Crossover music used to be frowned upon. You were not seen as a ‘real’ musician if you did it, unless you were strictly classical. But thanks in large part to Vitamin String Quartet, that perception has changed. Now, even many who have always been purely classical are exploring crossover and having fun with it, and it has gained a lot more respect. We would have kept doing it regardless, but it feels amazing to be part of VSQ and to help blaze that trail.

Q: You have played with major pop icons from Ariana Grande to Britney Spears. Has there been a favorite experience playing or performing?

A: I would say recording with the Foo Fighters was my favorite. Dave Grohl was a dream to work with: fun and appreciative, with no ego at all. Also, one of my favorite artists I got to play with is Annie Lennox. I’ve admired her since my youth, especially from her Eurythmics hit Sweet Dreams. We recorded a whole album with her, made videos for every song, and she gave powerful performances. Seeing artists like her at work, while remaining humble, is truly inspiring.

Q: Looking ahead, are there any dream collaborations or projects VSQ hopes to explore?

A: We’re really looking forward to hopefully collaborating with some of the amazing artists we cover. Over the past year, we’ve been much more active on social media, creating spontaneous covers of popular artists, and the reactions have been incredible. We have even heard from Selena Gomez and Sabrina Carpenter. Collaborating with artists like them is definitely something we hope to do someday.