ETHEL: Not Your Typical String Quartet

ETHEL
Fri., Oct. 22, 2010, 8 p.m.
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall
Tickets: $15; Discount Category Members $10; All students $5

ETHEL, acclaimed as America's premier postclassical string quartet, boldly infuses contemporary concert music with fierce intensity, questioning the boundaries between performer and audience, tradition and technology.

Formed in 1998, ETHEL is comprised of Juilliard-trained performers Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello) and Mary Rowell (violin). The ensemble will perform Present Beauty, a program that includes the quartet's new arrangement of Philip Glass's score from the film The Hours and works by Terry Riley, Huang Ruo, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe.

Cornelius Dufallo (violin) took the time to answer some questions about ETHEL and their upcoming concert.

Q: What should people expect when they come to see ETHEL perform? 

A: Leave your expectations at home! ETHEL is always up to something new; something different... At Emory we'll be performing our Present Beauty program, which is an in depth exploration of music that expresses the beauty of the "now." The program includes music by Terry Riley, Huang Ruo, David Lang, Julia Wolfe, and Philip Glass.

Q: Why did you choose to focus on postclassical rather than classical music?

A: The group formed itself around contemporary music - ETHEL has never played the "classics." We have our own classics, of course (Early That Summer by Julia Wolfe is one of them), but our mission has always been centered around presenting the most compelling music of our time.

Q: Your new album OSHTALI is the first ever recording of American Indian classical compositions by student composers. How did you get involved in this project?

A: Jerod Impechacha Tate was the director of this recording. Jerod is a member of the Chicasaw nation – we met him through the Native American Composer Apprentice Project at the Grand Canyon Music Festival in 2005 (he was the composition teacher at the time). Jerod is responsible for starting the Chicasaw Summer Arts Academy, and he invited us to record the student's compositions. It was a beautiful and inspiring project!

Q: ETHEL is constantly collaborating to create and perform new works. Are there any standout experiences you could share?

A: There have been so many wonderful experiences... collaboration is a way of life for ETHEL! Our experiences touring the Navajo and Hopi nations; our TruckStop®: The Beginning show at BAM; our TruckStop®:Mundial residency in Holland; our collaboration with Jeff Peterson in Hawaii; the tour with Todd Rundgren and Joe Jackson; performing with Thomas Dolby at the TED convention... the list goes on and on! Sharing our music and learning from our collaborators is a large part of what keeps things fresh and exciting for us!

Q: What are your plans after you finish the Present Beauty tour?

A: We have a couple of very exciting programs lined up for next season:Music of the Sun will be a fascinating collaboration with Native American flutist Robert Mirabal, and After Silence will be a gorgeous program of music by Steve Reich and John King. We'll be touring both of these programs during the 2011-2012 season.

Photo by Dennis Kleiman

Edited by Kristen Gwock
Communications Coordinator
Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts