Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet at Penn State Behrend October 7, 2010

Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet will perform at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, on Thursday, Oct. 7

The concert, part of the college’s Music at Noon: The Logan Series program, takes place at noon in the Reed Union Building’s McGarvey Commons. Admission is free and open to the public, and reserved parking will be available in the Reed Union Building lot.

Turtle Island Quartet is a singular force in the creation of bold new trends in chamber music for strings, as evidenced by the ensemble’s 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards 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. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has called Turtle Island Quartet “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground—authentic and passionate—a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.”

The ensemble’s newest CD, “Have You Ever Been…?,” was released on August 24. Its eclectic composition includes interpretations of eight songs made famous by guitarist Jimi Hendrix, an original suite honoring Charles Darwin, and a reworking of guitarist John McLaughlin’s “To Bop or Not to Be.”

Music at Noon, an innovative program to introduce classical music in an informal atmosphere rather than an intimidating concert hall, is celebrating its 21st anniversary season. Founded at Penn State Behrend by Warren philanthropist and arts advocate Kay Logan, the series’ unique musical outreach has been honored with an Adventurous Programming Award by Chamber Music America and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. The series receives major support from the Kay Logan Trust and additional funding from the Penn State Behrend Student Activity Fee, Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts and the Erie Arts Endowment of ArtsErie.

For more information about The Logan Series or Turtle Island Quartet’s appearance, contact Logan Series director Gary Viebranz at 814-898-6289.