ETHEL

TOURING 2009-2010
ETHEL invigorates contemporary concert music with refreshing exuberance, fierce intensity, imaginative programming and exceptional artistry. This postclassical quartet breaks down barriers between chamber music and other musical genres, creating innovative performances for audiences of all ages. Programs include:  PRESENT BEAUTY (celebrating the concepts of Presence and Continuity, featuring the quartet's new arrangement of Philip Glass's score from the film The Hours); ETHEL FAIR: The Songwriters (featuring ETHEL and singer-songwriters from America and Europe); SPEECH MUSIC (ground-breaking works by Scott Johnson, Steve Reich, and Jacob TV that incorporate text in new music); ALL STEEL (a tribute to the spirit and vibrance of New York City and its music community, featuring John King’s masterwork of the same name); SPACE (visionary, hypnotic work by Phil Kline that debuted in Alice Tully March 2009, with sound design by Obie-award winner Jody Elff); and WAIT FOR GREEN (score by ETHEL, choreography by Annie-B Parson, commissioned and premiered by arts@world financial center in New York).

Listen: Light (featured album on Amazon.com's Best of 2006)
Watch: Who is ETHEL? America's Favorite String Band!

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ETHEL's TruckStop®

Launched in 2007, ETHEL’s TruckStop® explores, unites, and honors indigenous communities, cultures, and music. TruckStop® takes ETHEL on the road and around the globe to create innovative new work through rich collaborations with established and emerging artists from diverse genres, traditions, and geographic regions by means of community-driven residencies and locally hosted performances. Explore the power of music as a common language through this one-of-a-kind project and become the next TruckStop®.

Listen: Ray of Son featuring James Bilagody (R. Farris / J. Woodruff / J. Bilagody)
Watch: ETHEL's TruckStop® with Kaotic Drumline
Watch: ETHEL's TruckStop® with James Bilagody

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EDUCATION

ETHEL regularly provides lectures, workshops, performances and master classes at colleges, music schools and universities. Topics include improvisation, composition, and collaboration. Please find below the links to the full listing of residency activities and other outreach services that ETHEL offers:

Download: Complete Residency Activity List
Download: The Art of String Composition for Native American Composers
Learn more: ETHEL also conducts education programs based on the quartet's TruckStop® collaborative model; these programs range from master classes to short- and long-term residencies on campuses and in conservatories.

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COMMISSIONING AND PREMIERES

ETHEL has premiered 47 new works in the past three years. Most were commissioned for us, and many were commissioned by our nonprofit ETHEL's Foundation for the Arts. These include compositions by Kenji Bunch, John King, Phil Kline, Mark Stewart, and members of ETHEL – alone and with our TruckStop® collaborators.  Recent premieres include: SPACE, a haunting work with music by Phil Kline and soundscape by Jody Elff that debuted at Alice Tully Hall in March 2009 and reprised in May at Kennedy Center; WAIT FOR GREEN, a collaborative work with choreographer Annie-B. Parson with score by ETHEL; and RADIO, a WNYC-commission by Osvaldo Golijov in April 2009 to inaugurate the station's Jerome Greene Performance Space. In 2010, ETHEL will premiere EXTENDED FAMILY, commissioned from Neil Rolnick. Julia Wolfe is currently at work on a commission for ETHEL for quartet and voice. Finally, our ETHEL's HomeBaked project supports work by emerging composers from our hometown of New York City. Four composers are currently working on HomeBaked projects: Anna Clyne, Andy Akiho, Judd Greenstein and Matt Marks.

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Support New Works: Make a tax-deductible contribution to support an upcoming commission.