Portland Ovations Presents ETHEL, 1/30

Portland Ovations presents ETHEL, America's premier post-classical string quartet at Hannaford Hall, USM Portland campus for an evening concert Wednesday, January 30th at 7:30pm featuring an arrangement of Philip Glass' score to the film The Hours.

Acclaimed, as "one of the most exciting quartets around," by Strad Magazine, the string quartet ETHEL has been a post-classical pioneer since it was founded in 1998. Performing its imaginative program Present Beauty, ETHEL illuminates the affinity between the creative aesthetic of composer Philip Glass and author Virginia Woolf. Present Beauty is anchored by an arrangement of Philip Glass' score to the film The Hours and also includes works by some of today's most intriguing living composers including Terry Riley, David Lang and Julia Wolfe.

ETHEL truly invigorates contemporary concert music with exuberance, intensity, and exceptional artistry. This quartet keeps an eye on tradition and an ear to the future, taking a leading role in concert music's re-engagement with musical vernaculars and fusing diverse traditions into a vibrant sound that resonates with audiences all over the world. The New York City-based quartet made up of the Julliard-trained musicians; Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), Kip Jones (violin) and Tema Watstein (violin), has initiated innovative collaborations with International Artists that include David Byrne, Kaki King, Loudon Wainwright III, Jill Sobule, Howard Levy, Joshua Fried, Andrew Bird, Thomas Dolby, Stephen Gosling and Jake Shimabukuro amongst others.

Portland Ovations will bring ETHEL to SPACE gallery on January 29th for a free all ages "flash concert." This will be your chance to preview ETHEL in a very intimate venue and raise a glass to composer Philip Glass who celebrates his birthday that week. A reception will follow this "flash" performance.

One hour prior to ETHEL's concert on January 30th at Hannaford Hall, Ovations Offstage offers a pre-performance lecture, "Re-imaging Chamber Music" at 6:30pm. University of Southern Maine Associate Professor and Resident Composer Dr. Daniel Sonenberg will examine the relationship between "new music" and the classical canon, highlighting key composers and works of the 20th and 21st centuries, while striving to bridge the aesthetic divide that exists in the minds of many.

Tickets for ETHEL: Present Beauty are $36 for Ovations' Members, $40 for the general public and a limited amount of $10 student tickets, are also available. The Maine Humanities Council, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Davis Family Foundation graciously provide support for the ETHEL performance. To purchase tickets, contact PortTix at 207-842-0800 or visit the box office window at Merrill Auditorium. Tickets are also available online at www.portlandovations.org.

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