'Most remarkable moment': SistaStrings duo plays rare Strads at Library of Congress

Milwaukee duo SistaStrings celebrated Juneteenth Day by posting video of "the most remarkable moment we've had lately": playing the Black national anthem on rare Stradivarius instruments at the Library of Congress in Washington.

Sisters Chauntee and Monique Ross made the library visit in March, when they performed as part of Brandi Carlile's group at a star-studded tribute concert for Elton John and Bernie Taupin, winners of the 2024 Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

The day after that event, the Rosses visited the library and were invited to play Strads in the collection. Cellist Monique played the "Castelbarco" instrument, whose ownership can be traced back to Count Cesare Castelbarco of Milan in 1699. Chauntee played both the "Betts" (1704) and "Kreisler" Guarneri Del Gesu (circa 1730) violins. The latter instrument was owned, played and eventually given to the library by Fritz Kreisler, the Babe Ruth of 20th-century violinists.

In an Instagram video posted by the Library of Congress, the Rosses can be heard singing and playing "Lift Every Voice and Sing," composed by brothers James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson and premiered in 1900.

"Every string player dreams of playing a Stradivarius," SistaStrings wrote in an Instagram post. "These are some of the most priceless and old instruments full of the richest musical history."

"No video can do these instruments justice but we share this in hopes to inspire even just one person to keep dreaming," SistaStrings wrote.

It's been a big year for the Rosses. They performed with Joni Mitchell and Carlile at the Grammys in January, and also played on the Oscars telecast in March.

Born and raised on Milwaukee's north side, the sisters began playing music before age 5. They formed SistaStrings in 2014.

In 2020, they relocated to Nashville.

The library's rare instruments are occasionally played by qualified visitors, such as Lizzo playing a crystal flute that had belonged to President James Madison on a 2022 visit. In fact, the donor of five Strads to the library stipulated that they should be played from time to time, according to a library press statement.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: SistaStrings plays Stradivarius instruments at Library of Congress