About the Event

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammys® for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. 

The quartet’s birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while completing his master’s degree program at Antioch University West. The journey has taken Turtle Island through forays into folk, bluegrass, swing, be-bop, funk, R&B, new age, rock, and hip-hop, as well as music of Latin America and India—a repertoire consisting of hundreds of ingenious arrangements and originals. 

The quartet’s latest album, Island Prayers, will celebrate the range of influences within the rich cultural spectrum of the continent “Turtle Island.” Four American string players formed a quartet with the express purpose of melding the wide range of music performed in North America, both past and present. Turtle Island is the origin story shared by many First Nation people of the eastern woodlands, where it is said that the entire continent of North America was built from soil placed on the back of a great turtle. This mythology has inspired a unifying bond between many tribes. 

As quartet members continue to refine their skills through the development of repertory by some of today’s cutting-edge composers, through performances and recordings with major symphonic ensembles, and through a determined educational commitment, the Turtle Island Quartet stakes its claim as the quintessential New World string quartet of the 21st century.