String quartet, guitar duo to perform at University Auditorium

January 2, 2007

GAINESVILLE, FL – The Turtle Island String Quartet and The Assad Brothers will present the world premiere performance of String Theory at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at University Auditorium. A pre-performance discussion will take place at 6:45 p.m.

At first glance, the coming together of a string quartet and a guitar duo may seem like nothing more than an entertaining night out on the town. But these two “super-groups” of the string world, both having irrevocably altered the face of their respective traditions and both known for their excellent musicianship, have something altogether different in mind.

String Theory is an around the world adventure in music, taking musical styles and traditions from Africa and India and the mountains of Appalachia, and blending them with the rhythmic poetry of the Balkans, the hard-swinging elegance of Gypsy jazz a la Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, and everything in between.

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island String Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Taking its name from the creation mythology of Native America, the birth of Turtle Island was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming sessions while writing his master’s thesis at Antioch University West. In the 20 years since, the quartet has garnered a reputation for being on the cutting edge of 21st century chamber music. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma proclaimed the quartet to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.” Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles and, by devising a performance practice that honors both, redefines the state of the art in the chamber music world.

Tickets are available by calling the Phillips Center Box Office at (352) 392-2787 or (800) 905-2787 or by calling Ticketmaster at (904) 353-3309. Orders may be faxed to (352) 846-1562. Tickets are also available in person at the Phillips Center Box Office, University Box Office at the University of Florida Reitz Student Union and all Ticketmaster outlets; and on the Web at www.ticketmaster.com.

The Phillips Center Box Office is from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and two hours before performances.