Turtle Island Quartet brings "A Love Supreme" to campus
Mark Hensch
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: Arts
Turtle Island String Quartet will bring their two-time Grammy Award-winning, jazz inflected tunes to Hillsdale College Friday when they teach an afternoon master class and perform in Markel Auditorium in the evening.
"This event is a great chance to hear a world-class musical group for free," Music Department Chair James Holleman said. "Beyond the concert, it is incredibly motivating for our students to work with professionals at that level of playing music."
Since forming in 1985, the quartet has courted international acclaim for its unique mix of classical music and jazz, Holleman said. Such a musical fusion won them two Grammies for best classical crossover album in 2005 ("Four + 4") and 2007 ("A Love Supreme") since their last Hillsdale appearance in 2003.
Friday, the group will perform their most recent Grammy-winning program. Given that the record is a collection of jazz standards by John Coltrane, the band's concert could be unpredictable, Holleman said.
"A group like this that is influenced by jazz is structured but still has spontaneity," Holleman said. "As such, the concert will be high quality, entertaining and maybe even improvised."
The group's jazzy randomness attracted sophomore Nick Nestorak when Turtle Island first came to Hillsdale in 2003. An avid cellist, Nestorak once covered Turtle Island cellist Mark Summers' "Julie-O" in a high school talent contest. He won the contest and has hoped to see the quartet live ever since.
"They are not a traditional string quartet, being a bridge between classical music and more contemporary music like jazz," Nestorak said. "I really like jazz, so it is cool watching people take a classical instrument that I play and have fun playing the jazz music I enjoy hearing."
For junior Hilary Lewis, the quartet's versatile talent offers her a chance to see masterful viola playing which will help improve her own. Even as a spectator, the master class will prove an invaluable learning tool, she said.
"When a good quartet like this comes in they are very specific about certain instruments and it helps a lot," Lewis said. "The master class will be a wonderful opportunity to hone my projection and technique."
Sophmore Nathan Sarver agreed. Also a viola player, he said Turtle Island's playing will be exquisite regardless of whether it is in a class or a concert.
"This band plays bread-and-butter music, the kind of thing I practice every day," Sarver said. "It is a tremendous opportunity to see this band."
The group will coach two of Hillsdale's four string quartets in a master class at 3 p.m. in the Howard Music Building's Conrad Recital Hall before performing in Markel Auditorium at 8 p.m. Call the box office at (517) 607-2410 for tickets.
"This event is a great chance to hear a world-class musical group for free," Music Department Chair James Holleman said. "Beyond the concert, it is incredibly motivating for our students to work with professionals at that level of playing music."
Since forming in 1985, the quartet has courted international acclaim for its unique mix of classical music and jazz, Holleman said. Such a musical fusion won them two Grammies for best classical crossover album in 2005 ("Four + 4") and 2007 ("A Love Supreme") since their last Hillsdale appearance in 2003.
Friday, the group will perform their most recent Grammy-winning program. Given that the record is a collection of jazz standards by John Coltrane, the band's concert could be unpredictable, Holleman said.
"A group like this that is influenced by jazz is structured but still has spontaneity," Holleman said. "As such, the concert will be high quality, entertaining and maybe even improvised."
The group's jazzy randomness attracted sophomore Nick Nestorak when Turtle Island first came to Hillsdale in 2003. An avid cellist, Nestorak once covered Turtle Island cellist Mark Summers' "Julie-O" in a high school talent contest. He won the contest and has hoped to see the quartet live ever since.
"They are not a traditional string quartet, being a bridge between classical music and more contemporary music like jazz," Nestorak said. "I really like jazz, so it is cool watching people take a classical instrument that I play and have fun playing the jazz music I enjoy hearing."
For junior Hilary Lewis, the quartet's versatile talent offers her a chance to see masterful viola playing which will help improve her own. Even as a spectator, the master class will prove an invaluable learning tool, she said.
"When a good quartet like this comes in they are very specific about certain instruments and it helps a lot," Lewis said. "The master class will be a wonderful opportunity to hone my projection and technique."
Sophmore Nathan Sarver agreed. Also a viola player, he said Turtle Island's playing will be exquisite regardless of whether it is in a class or a concert.
"This band plays bread-and-butter music, the kind of thing I practice every day," Sarver said. "It is a tremendous opportunity to see this band."
The group will coach two of Hillsdale's four string quartets in a master class at 3 p.m. in the Howard Music Building's Conrad Recital Hall before performing in Markel Auditorium at 8 p.m. Call the box office at (517) 607-2410 for tickets.
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