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February 11, 2008: Laguna Beach Live!’s Music Festival Artists Win Grammy® Award
The Turtles earn two awards in three years.
Turtle Island Quartet won a 2008 Grammy® for Best Classical Crossover Album for their latest recording, A Love Supreme-The Legacy of John Coltrane. The quartet’s previous release, 4 + Four with the Ying Quartet, was awarded the Grammy® in 2006. The 2008 Laguna Beach Music Festival, a collaboration of Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society, featured the Turtle Island Quartet in last month’s weeklong blend of performances and educational programs. The Turtles performed excerpts from both Grammy award winning albums in their three weekend concerts, held January 18-20th.
As part of the Music Festival, the local schools are given the opportunity to have outreach programs, at no charge. During the week, Turtle Island Quartet gave two performances and talks at Thurston and two at the High School. The composer in residence, Karim Al-Zand, who was commissioned to write a new piece for the Enso Quartet as part of the Festival, held a free afternoon class for High School students on the “How To’s” of composing. Festival guest artist, Stefon Harris, “The Master of the Mallet,” jammed with the Laguna Beach High Jazz Band and offered some interesting musical ideas.
High School Jazz teacher Roger Shew was very excited to have Stefon Harris work with his class. Roger wrote, “Thanks for the wonderful experience! Stefon was amazing and the kids had a great time. I know I learned a bunch as well. Thanks for allowing this to happen! It really does make a difference!”
Thurston students were probably not surprised to learn of the Grammy award as they all thought the Quartet was wonderful. Student Kay Kaskevitch expressed what several classmates did, “We were very lucky at Thurston to have a performance by the Turtle Island Quartet. They were great. With only 4 musicians, they were able to make so many different sounds. It was amazing. I hope I get a chance to see and hear them perform again sometime soon.”
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The Turtle Island Quartet
By Sharon Tetrault
Mark Summer has given lots of interviews since joining the Turtle Island Quartet in 1985 and invariably he’s asked the same question at the end of each interview: is there anything he’d like to add?
“I always say just come and hear us play. We’re a lot of fun and we’ll have you clapping your hands and boogying in your seats with our music,” says Summer, cellist for the featured group at the sixth annual Laguna Beach Music Festival, which runs from January 14-20th.
If it seems an incongruous statement coming from a man who’s helped reinvigorate the venerable tradition of chamber music, then you’re probably not familiar with Turtle Island. Accomplished instrumentalists each of them – Mads Tolling plays viola, Evan Price and group founder David Balakrishnan play violin – they are precise and technically fluent, yet they are also fantastically adept at improvising.
At this year’s festival, Turtle Island, which won a Grammy in 2006 for its 4 + Four album, will perform with the Enso String Quartet and renowned percussionist Stefon Harris during three concerts held at the Laguna Beach Artists’ Theatre beginning on Friday, January 18th.
Part of the group’s unique style is their penchant for using their instruments in unexpected ways. They “chop” on the violin and viola to imitate the sound of percussion instruments, and “slap” the cello to replicate a drum set. This gives Turtle Island the ability to emulate a rhythm section within a string quartet.
Traditional? No. Popular? Yes.
In Europe, and especially Germany, where a love of chamber music runs deep, Turtle Island is tremendously popular. “Going out to see a string quartet is a normal thing there,” says Summer, who also composes for the group. “And because we’re so obviously American, they can spot that right away and they have a real appreciation for it.”
Stressing their American roots has always been important to Turtle Island, whose name is derived from creation mythology in Native American folklore. Balakrishnan chose the name because it reflects the group’s American, rather than classical European, style of music. And from the start, they’ve embraced the exploration of a wide range of music – classical, jazz, blues, funk, bluegrass, rock n’ roll, New Age, Indian, fiddle, and more.
In 2006, their 4 + Four album won a Grammy for Best Classical Crossover Album. Summer describes the resultant attention as “a ripple in a pond that it still going outward” and said he once wondered how the group could possibly follow-up such an accomplishment. But that’s not a concern any longer: Turtle Island was recently nominated for yet another Grammy for A Love Supreme – The Legacy of John Coltrane, a sublime tribute to the jazz great.
Concertgoers will get to hear selections from both albums as well as other pieces from the group’s diverse repertoire in the weekend concerts. During the week there will be several opportunities to explore the music in depth, starting with a Meet the Artists Salon with Turtle Island on Tuesday, January 15th, a Symposium on Understanding New Music on Wednesday, January 16th, and numerous open workshops taking place at the Hotel Laguna. The Festival concerts commence Friday night with the group collaborating with the Ensõ String Quartet on a musical tour that begins with Haydn and ends with the sounds of James Brown.
Saturday night will mark the world premiere collaboration of Turtle Island and Stefon Harris as they present The Divine Duke in celebration of Duke Ellington’s visionary music.
And on Sunday, Turtle Island will conclude the Festival with an exciting finale featuring an in-depth look at John Coltrane's landmark recording, A Love Supreme. Included in the afternoon concert will be the presentation of a new composition commissioned by the Festival for the Ensõ String Quartet.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit LagunaBeachMusicFestival.com or call the Philharmonic Society at (949) 553-2422.
THE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY AND LAGUNA BEACH LIVE! PRESENT
THE SIXTH ANNUAL LAGUNA BEACH MUSIC FESTIVAL
WITH GRAMMY AWARD WINNING TURTLE ISLAND STRING QUARTET
New Work Commissioned by the Festival to be Premiered
The Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Laguna Beach Live! present its sixth annual Laguna Beach Music Festival from Monday, January 14, 2008 through Sunday, January 20, 2008. Experience the acclaimed ensemble, The Turtle Island Quartet as the Featured Artist of the 2008 Festival, the award winning young professional group, The Ensō Quartet, and special guest artist, the highly praised percussionist Stefon Harris. This world-class Festival, established in 2003, brings music at its most exciting---up close and personal---to the charming seaside community of Laguna Beach.
The Turtle Island String Quartet has been chosen as this year’s featured artist. Since 1985, this San Francisco Bay Area based jazz quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. The quartet’s unique fusion of classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles has resulted in its acclaimed musical versatility. In the words of the Los Angeles Times, The Turtle Island String Quartet is “A Standard beyond the reach of its few contemporaries…In the multifarious idiom they have all but invented, Turtle remains the ne plus ultra.”
A new composition has been commissioned from Canadian-American composer Karim Al-Zand, recipient of several national awards, including the Sackler Composition Prize, the Art Song Prize, and the Louisville Orchestra Competition Prize. The composition will be premiered on Sunday, January 20 by the Ensō String Quartet. Full programs are to be announced.
Lauded for stellar and diverse qualities, among them “lyricism and sophistication” … the Ensō String Quartet received multiple honors at the 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition and claimed victories at the 2003 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, Fischoff National Competition and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition.
The Ensō String Quartet formed in 1999 at Yale University and completed graduate residencies at Northern Illinois University and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. Its members hold degrees from The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand).
Stefon Harris' passionate artistry, energetic stage presence, and astonishing virtuosity have propelled him into the forefront of the current jazz scene. Widely recognized and lauded by both his peers and jazz critics alike, the 30 year-old is committed to both exploring the rich potential of jazz composition and blazing new trails on the vibraphone.
A graduate of The Manhattan School of Music, Harris received a B.A. in Classical Music and an M.A. in jazz performance. He is a recipient of the prestigious Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center and has earned back to back to back Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Album and Best Jazz Instrumental Solo.
Dedicated to artistic excellence and innovation, the Festival presents traditional and contemporary classical music in an accessible and intimate style. The week features a special Meet the Artists salon with The Turtle Island Quartet, several educational events open to the public with The Turtle Island String Quartet and the commissioned composer, master classes, an opening night gourmet dinner at Claes Restaurant at the Hotel Laguna, and concludes with three inspired weekend concerts held at the Laguna Beach Artists’ Theatre on Friday, January 18, 8 pm, Saturday, January 19, 8 pm, and Sunday, January 20, 3 pm.
Festival Concerts
Friday, January 18, 2008, 8pm
The collaboration of the Turtle Island Quartet and Ensõ String Quartet features two dynamic string ensembles from opposite ends of the musical spectrum. The program takes the audience on a tour beginning with a bit of Haydn and ending with the sounds of James Brown!
Saturday, January 19, 2008, 8pm
The Divine Duke
(World Premiere Collaboration)
Duke Ellington's visionary music combined jazz with classical and gospel forms brilliantly foreshadowing the classical crossover genre. His body of work provides a perfect foundation for the bold new collaboration featuring the Turtle Island Quartet and renowned percussionist Stefon Harris.
Sunday, January 20, 2008, 3pm
The Festival finale includes the Turtle Island Quartet employing the string quartet form to shed new light and take an in-depth look at John Coltrane's landmark recording A Love Supreme. The program will also present a new composition commissioned by the Festival for the Ensõ String Quartet.
Concert ticket prices are $35 for center orchestra; $30 for rear and far sides, and $15 for students (21 & under). For more information or to request a full schedule of events, call the Philharmonic Society at (949) 553-2422, or visit www.LagunaBeachMusicFestival.com.
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For information: Chantel Chen, Philharmonic Society (949) 553-2422, ext. 231
Lucinda Prewitt, Laguna Beach Live! (949) 499-2627
Marie Songco-Torres, Philharmonic Society (949) 553-2422, ext. 230
WHAT: Laguna Beach Music Festival featuring
The Turtle Island String Quartet
WHEN: January 14-20, 2008 with events throughout Laguna Beach.
Concerts at Laguna Beach Artists’ Theatre:
Friday, January 18, 2008, at 8 pm
Saturday, January 19, 2008, at 8 pm
Sunday, January 20, 2008, at 3 pm
WHERE: Concerts held at Laguna Beach Artists’ Theatre
625 Park Avenue, Laguna Beach
TICKETS: $30-35/adults, and $15 for full-time students (21 & under)
Available at the Philharmonic Society box office (949) 553-2422, online at www.philharmonicsociety.org.
INFORMATION: Call (949) 553-2422 or visit www.PhilharmonicSociety.org
www.LagunaBeachMusicFestival.com
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