Turtle Island String Quartet, 2006 Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Crossover Album, derives its name from creation mythology found in Native American Folklore. Since its inception in 1985, it has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TISQ to be "a unified voice that truly breaks new ground - authentic and passionate - a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today."
Solstice Celebration: The Festival of Lights, commemorates the quartet members' ancestral roots by showcasing the music associated with what is referred to in both the Jewish and Hindu traditions as the Festival of Lights. From the songs of Chanukah, to the music of India's Dewali, to the old English carols and Scottish reels of the 16th century, Turtle Island will explore the timeless music that has been an integral part of winter holiday celebrations for centuries. The quartet will also feature pieces that have touched Americans' hearts for almost 40 years, such as pianist and composer Vince Guaraldi's beloved music from A Charlie Brown Christmas. The Central Dauphin East High School Choraliers, under the direction of George Diehl, will be featured in that selection and other pieces to be performed in the second half of the program.
A glorious fusion of jazz and chamber music, the Turtle Island String Quartet has been the very definition of chamber jazz for nearly twenty years. The Quartet's birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan's brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while writing his master's thesis at Antioch University West.
The journey has taken Turtle Island through forays into folk, bluegrass, swing, be-bop, funk, R&B, rock, hip-hop, as well as music of Latin America and India &a repertoire consisting of hundreds of ingenious arrangements and originals. It has included over a dozen recordings on labels such as Windham Hill and Telarc, soundtracks for major motion pictures, TV and radio credits and collaborations with famed artists such as clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera, The Manhattan Transfer, and the Parsons Dance Company.
The Turtle Island String Quartet performs Solstice Celebration: The Festival of Lights on Friday, December 1 at 8pm. Tickets are $25 adult for and $20 for senior citizens/students. Box Office 717-231-ROSE (7673). TIX online at hacc.edu/rose.