String Quartet ETHEL and Grammy-Winning Flutist Robert Mirabal Combine for Thursday Concert

September 26, 2014

Continuing a deeply successful six-year collaboration, the cutting-edge string quartet ETHEL and Native American flutist Robert Mirabal, a three-time Grammy Award winner, will present the next evolution of the cross-cultural concert experience in the second Green Guest Artist Concert of the season on Thursday, October 2, at 8 p.m. in DePauw University's Kresge Auditorium.

Acclaimed by the New York Times as “extraordinarily skilled, passionate musicians,” ETHEL, a New York-based ensemble founded in 1998, features Kip Jones and Terna Watstein on violin, and co-founders Ralph Farris and Dorothy Lawson on viola and cello. Unlike most string quartets, ETHEL plays with amplification and integrates improvisation into its performances. The ensemble has toured the U.S. and Europe with the rock musicians Joe Jackson and Todd Rundgren (a 2009 Ubben Lecturer at DePauw), and has performed at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference with Thomas Dolby, David Byrne and Andrew Bird.

Mirabal, who resides in the sacred Taos Mountains of New Mexico, has been described as a “Native American Renaissance man” for his interests in many art forms -- music, poetry, instrument building, acting and screenwriting -- as well as his vocations as a horseman and a farmer. His dozen records, which the flutist says are informed by the ceremonial music that he’s heard all his life, are also influenced by the music of Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. The combination of these traditions, which include Native American song, rock and roll, and spoken word, taps into a planetary pulse with a style that defies categorization.

The collective effect delivered by these master performers has been described as breathtaking, even ecstatic. In addition to its multidimensional repertoire, the group is heavily focused on educational outreach and community involvement, addressing in particular the need for healing and inspiration through music. One of the ensemble’s projects, Music of the Sun, which will be presented Thursday night in collaboration with the DePauw Chamber Singers, was created with Mirabal.

To prepare for the concert, Farris will work with the choir on October 1 rehearsing a group of pieces that he composed, titled “The Solstice Suite.” Upon arriving in Greencastle, Mirabal will also teach the student performers one of his songs, “Voices of the Sun.”

General admission tickets to the Green Guest Artist Concert are $10 in advance and $15 the day of the event. Tickets for seniors, children and all students are free. For information, ticket purchases or assistance, visit the Green Center box office (Sun.-Thurs. 12–4 p.m. and 6–8 p.m., and Friday 12–4 p.m.) or www.depauw.edu/music/tickets, or call (765) 658-4827.

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