MEDIA CONTACT: April Thibeault, 212.861.0990 [email protected] ETHEL, America’s Premier Post-Classical String Quartet, Announces September – December 2012 Schedule “Tell Me Something Good” Nationwide Tour w/ Rock Icon Todd Rundgren “ETHEL’s Documerica” as Part of Park Avenue Armory’s “Under Construction” Series Netherlands Tour, featuring World Premiere of "Cross Avenue" by Jeroen Strijbos + Rob van Rijswijk ETHEL Welcomes Violinists Kip Jones + Tema Watstein New York City, NY (For Release 08/13/12) --- ETHEL, the nation’s leading post-classical string quartet, today announced its schedule for the remainder of the year. Following an eventful Spring/Summer filled with the release of the group’s 3rd album “Heavy” and subsequent personnel changes, the upcoming Fall/Winter 2012 marks an exhilarating chapter in the quartet’s career. Described by The Strad as “one of the most exciting quartets around,” ETHEL continues to serve as a pioneer of classical music’s new wave by embracing its urban, bluesy, edgy, rock, funk and bluegrass subtleties. “With the addition of our new violinists, Kip Jones and Tema Watstein, ETHEL is armed with a newly vamped sound and vivacity,” explains Dorothy Lawson (cello), Founder and Co-Artistic Director of ETHEL. “We’re excited to kick-start the season and share new music, collaborations, and experiences with audiences worldwide.” For a complete schedule, see below or visit www.ethelcentral.org. Editor’s Note: For photo permissions, interviews or ticket requests, contact April Thibeault / AMT PR / 212.861.0990 / [email protected]. ETHEL│September - December 2012 Schedule Subject to Change Aug 23 – Sep 3 – SW Tour (Tempe, AZ, Grand Canyon, Navajo Nation) Sep 6 – Denver, CO Sep 7 – Las Cruces, NM Oct 11 – Atlanta, GA Oct 13 – Interlochen, MI Oct 17 – Gainesville, FL Oct 19 – New London, CT Oct 20 – New Bedford, MA Oct 21 – Mahwah, NJ Oct 23 – Keene, NH Oct 24 – Newark, OH Oct 25 – Indianapolis, IN Oct 28 - College Park, MD Oct 30 – Hampton, VA Nov 1 – Cerritos, CA Nov 3 – Davis, CA Nov 6 – 9 Netherlands Nov 26 - Dec 2 – NYC, NY Dec 8 – 9 – Idyllwild Pine-Cove, CA “Tell Me Something Good” with Todd Rundgren ETHEL celebrates the culture and sounds of the 1970’s - the era of funk, glam rock, early minimalism, the bi-centennial, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. The 70’s were a restless, intelligent, dissatisfied time- a decade of contradictions, a decade of loss, a decade of discovery. In “Tell Me Something Good,” the program features selections from Lou Harrison's Quartet Set (1972), a seminal example of cross-cultural concert music, as well as ETHEL’s own arrangement of Arvo Pärt’s hauntingly beautiful Spiegel im Spiegel, arrangements of music by Sun Ra, and a fascinating new work by rising star Judd Greenstein that incorporates the sound of synthesizers from the 1970s. Central to this program is the thrilling collaboration between ETHEL and ‘70’s icon Todd Rundgren. Having toured together in the United States and Europe in 2005, ETHEL and Todd found a deep connection and ongoing friendship in their passion for authenticity and their curiosity about what’s emerging. Each has assaulted the boundaries of convention with dynamic creativity. The energy onstage is explosive and beautiful. (Todd Rundgren appears courtesy of Panacea Entertainment.) OCT 17 - Philips Center - University of Florida, Gainesville, FL OCT 19 - Palmer Auditorium - Connecticut College, New London, CT OCT 20 - Zeiterion Theatre, New Bedford, MA OCT 21 - Berrie Center for the Performing Arts - Ramapo College, Mahwah, NJ OCT 23 - Redfern Arts Center - Keene State College, Keene, NH OCT 24 - Midland Theater, Newark, OH OCT 26 - Clowes Memorial Hall - Butler University, Indianapolis, IN OCT 28 - Clarice Smith PAC - University of Maryland, College Park, MD OCT 30 - American Theatre, Hampton, VA NOV 1 - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos, CA NOV 3 - Mondavi Center - University of California, Davis, CA _____________________________________________________________________________________ “ETHEL’s Documerica” As part of the Park Avenue Armory’s “Under Construction” series, ETHEL presents “ETHEL’s Documerica” – a fascinating and thought-provoking meditation on the social & environmental issues Americans continue to struggle with today. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency created Project Documerica, sending brilliant photographers across America to document environmental issues and their impact on society. On the 30th anniversary of this landmark convergence of art and ecology, ETHEL is developing “ETHEL’s Documerica,” a touring multimedia program that is inspired by Project Documerica’s powerful visual revelations. ETHEL has commissioned four uniquely American composers to contribute original music: Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and a 2011 Emmy Award Winner; Ulysses Owens Jr., a Grammy Award winner named by Wynton Marsalis as one of his 2011 “Who's Got Next: Jazz Musicians to Watch”; James "Kimo" Williams, a Vietnam veteran and Music Director of the Lt. Dan Band; and Mary Ellen Childs, a USA Friends Fellow and a McKnight Artist Fellow. Shaping the overall visual component of the program is multi- disciplinary artist and designer Deborah Johnson. “ETHEL’s Documerica” will be presented to audiences as a series of workshops and open rehearsals during the week of November 26 – December 2, 2012, culminating in a preliminary performance on Sunday, December 2nd. (ETHEL served as 2011-12 Artists-in-Residence at the Park Avenue Armory.) NOV 26 - DEC 2 – Park Avenue Armory, New York City, NY ________________________________________________________________________ “Cross Avenue” Premieres Throughout the Netherlands ETHEL premieres “Cross Avenue” (premiere 11/6 + additional performance 11/9) - atmospheric and electronic sound fields coupled with acoustic music by Netherland-based composers Jeroen Strijbos + Rob van Rijswijk. In “Cross Avenue” the composers Strijbos & Van Rijswijk explore the extremes of the dynamic possibilities of ETHEL and reveal how the different instruments can relate to each other. In “Cross Avenue” the sound created by the strings will be saved, explored, re-worked and re-introduced in such a way that the original sound source and its new variant combine to form a new sound entity. The strings and the electronics become a seamless extension of each other. Further, Strijbos & Van Rijswijk employ spatialisation (sound divided over the space), an important audible element which propels the composition in further developing its expression. Also on the Netherlands tour will be a special program entitled Theme Minimal Music (11/8) featuring performances of Steve Reich’s Different Trains, Phil Kline’s The Blue Room and Other Stories, and Jacob TV’s Take A Wild Guess. NOV 6 – De Link, Tilburg NOV 7 – De Verkadefabriek November Music Festival, Den Bosch NOV 8 – De Toonzaal, November Music Festival, Den Bosch NOV 9 - Conservatory Maastricht, Maastricht NOV 9 – De Muziekgieterij, Maastricht _________________________________________________________________________ Present Beauty: Music of Philip Glass ETHEL continues its “Present Beauty” nationwide tour. ETHEL presents a program celebrating the concepts of Presence and Continuity, featuring the group’s own arrangement of Philip Glass’ achingly beautiful film score from The Hours. Additional works are drawn from ETHEL’s extensive body of fascinating and original material, including Julia Wolfe’s Early that summer and David Lang’s Wed. OCT 13 – Corson Auditorium - Interlochen Academy, Interlochen, MI ____________________________________________________________________________________ Music of the Sun featuring Robert Mirabal Grammy- and Nammy Award-winning Native American flutist Robert Mirabal joins ETHEL to create a cross-cultural contemporary music event. Using the instruments of the string quartet, Native American flutes (Tdoop - Pootse) and drums (Mooloo), as well as the spirited voices of students and community members, “Music of the Sun” is a program inspired by the sun mythologies of Native America. In many Native American cultures each day begins with “running to the sun” – a fusion of spiritual and physical discipline. This extraordinary collaboration grew out of the ETHEL/Mirabal work as part of ETHEL’s TruckStop® project, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2008. SEP 6 – Western Arts Alliance (WAA) Conference, Denver, CO SEP 7 – New Mexico State’s Atkinson Hall, Las Cruces, NM _____________________________________________________________________________________ ETHEL + ETHEL continues to expand its vast repertoire by embracing unorthodox venues, collaborations and residencies. Here’s a rundown of non-categorical events happening over the next few months: AUG 23 – SEP 3 – Grand Canyon Music Festival + Native American Composers Apprentice Project (NACAP) OCT 11 – Ampitheater - Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA DEC 8 – 9 – Idyllwild Arts Academy, Idyllwild Pine-Cove, CA ____________________________________________________________________________________________ About ETHEL: Acclaimed as “one of the most exciting quartets around” (Strad Mag) and “as a necessary jet of cold water in the contemporary classical scene” (Pitchfork.com), the string quartet ETHEL has been a post-classical pioneer since it was founded in 1998. ETHEL invigorates contemporary concert music with exuberance, intensity, imaginative programming and exceptional artistry. With an eye on tradition and an ear to the future,