ETHEL

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Minneapolis, MN

{ 196 West Ashland Street ■
Suite 201 ■ Doylestown, PA 18901
p.267-880-3750 ■ f.267-880-3757 }

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Biography

ETHEL

Acclaimed as America’s premier postclassical string quartet, ETHEL invigorates contemporary concert music with refreshing exuberance, fierce intensity, imaginative programming and exceptional artistry. Formed in 1998, New York’s ebullient ETHEL is comprised of Juilliard-trained performers Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello) and Mary Rowell (violin).

ETHEL performs adventurous music of the past four decades, with emphasis on works composed since 1995. Their repertoire includes self-composed works, as well as works by such luminaries as Julia Wolfe, Phil Kline, David Lang, John Zorn, Steve Reich, John King, JacobTV, Scott Johnson, Don Byron, Marcello Zavros, Evan Ziporyn, and Mary Ellen Childs.

Boldly exploring new synergies between tradition and technology, ETHEL initiates innovative collaborations with an extraordinary community of American and international artists such as Joe Jackson, Kurt Elling, Bang on a Can, Todd Rundgren, David Byrne, Ursula Oppens, Loudon Wainwright III, STEW, Ensemble Modern, Jill Sobule, Joshua Fried, Andrew Bird, Iva Bittová, Colin Currie, Thomas Dolby, Steve Coleman, Stephen Gosling, Jake Shimabukuro and Polygraph Lounge.

ETHEL tours the world, appearing on stages as varied as Venice Biennale, Sydney Opera House, Ravinia, TED, Lincoln Center, Holland’s TROMP Festival, Kennedy Center, FIAC in Guanajuato, Mexico, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Highlights of recent seasons include the world premieres of: Phil Kline’s SPACE at the gala reopening of Alice Tully Hall; ETHEL's TruckStop®: The Beginning at BAM’s Next Wave Festival; RADIO by Osvaldo Golijov at the debut of WNYC Radio’s Jerome L. Greene Space; ETHEL Fair: The Songwriters at opening night of Lincoln Center’s Out of Doors Festival; WAIT FOR GREEN with choreography by Annie-B Parson, commissioned by the arts> World Financial Center; new collaborative works with Merce Cunningham Dance and Arena Dances companies; and a commissioned original live film score at Celebrate Brooklyn! Other highlights include performances at: The annual TED Conference; the TROMP Festival with Colin Currie and Todd Rundgren; Merkin Hall as part of New Sounds Live: ETHEL Plays JacobTV; Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Allen Room and the Grand Canyon Music Festival, where ETHEL is Ensemble-in-Residence with the Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project.

ETHEL has released several albums since their debut, self-titled ETHEL (Cantaloupe Music, 2003), which was named Billboard’s “Best Album” for that year. The group’s next recording, Light (Cantaloupe Music, 2006), was selected as #3 on Amazon.com’s “Best of 2006: Top Classical Editor’s Picks.” ETHEL’s most recent release, OSHTALI (Thunderbird Records, 2010), marks the first recording of American Indian student works. The group has appeared as guest artist on a dozen music labels and was recently featured with vocal group Lionheart on John the Revelator: A Mass for Six Voices by Phil Kline (Cantaloupe, Music, 2008). They were also featured on Dedicated to You: Kurt Elling Sings the Music of Coltrane and Hartman, which received a 2010 GRAMMY ® for Best Jazz Vocal Album (Concord Records, 2009).