Jukebox: “Heavy Metal Strings” at ArtsRiot Credit: Luke Awtry

Jukebox: “Heavy Metal Strings,” ArtsRiot, Burlington, Friday, April 11

It’s been more than three weeks since the official start of spring, but I wasn’t convinced until I caught my first outdoor show of the year — kind of. I knew the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s Jukebox quartet had sold out both of its “Heavy Metal Strings” shows last Friday at ArtsRiot, and though I had a very busy night on the books, I hoped to sneak in and catch a few bangers. Jukebox is made up of four of the VSO’s top bow-wielding shredders: Brooke Quiggins-Saulnier and Joana Genova on violin, Stefanie Taylor on viola, and John Dunlop on cello. They perform previously unimagined classical takes on pop and rock hits — including Nirvana’s “In Bloom.” That was one of two Kyle Saulnier arrangements for this season’s touring program, curated by VSO artistic adviser Matt LaRocca. With only a few minutes to spare, I never made it into the venue but found the perfect line of sight to enjoy the quartet from my own private outdoor viewing area — the otherwise empty Pine Street sidewalk. And I didn’t even buy a ticket. How metal is that?

This article appears in Apr 16-22, 2025.

Luke Awtry took the long way to becoming a professional photographer, with a path through music, technology and engineering, and he remains active in each. His first Seven Days assignment was on Town Meeting Day in March 2018, and he has since supported more than 500 Seven Days stories with his photography.