San Francisco Guitar Quartet | San Francisco Headshots Photographer

Western music very often comes in fours: 4/4 time, 4 strings on a violin, and all those beautiful 4-member groups: string quartets, barbershop quartets, brass quartets– even the standard rock band is usually two guitars, a bass, and a drum kit. But a bit more uncommon is the guitar quartet. No, not a band with four guitars, but a classical ensemble: four classical guitarists who merge their playing into a beautifully blended mini-orchestra of sound. Only a handful of U.S. cities have these guitar quartets, but San Francisco is lucky enough to be counted among them.

Jon, Mark, Patrick, and David are the four men of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet. You might recognize Mark from his previous headshot session with me. They might look like laid back casual guys hanging out on the Laney College campus on a Friday morning (and they are,) but don’t let that fool you. These are serious musicians with serious cred. Take Jon, for instance. Behind that bright blond mohawk and that crazy 11-string guitar is a guy who premiered at Carnegie Hall when he was 20. I even got serenaded briefly in the middle of our shoot, as the quartet spontaneously broke out into song. It was simultaneously enlivening and calming, and an absolute treat. To hear for yourself and to learn more, check out the SFGQ website. Their next album is coming out soon.