Ethel

Ethel

String quartet

TED Speaker

Ethel is, perhaps, the first 21st-century realization of the classical string quartet.

Why you should listen

An all-star foursome, Ethel includes performers Cornelius Dufallo (violin), Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), and Mary Rowell (violin), a mixed bag of players from classical, rock and downtown new-music circles. The powerhouse ensemble takes an unconventional approach to performance.

Says the Wall Street Journal, "Ethel ... created a world in which classical music had never grown distant, a world in which it was as fresh and direct as crowds dancing in the street."

(photo by Steve J. Sherman)

What others say

I wish there were more rock bands who played like Ethel. What you get from Ethel is the sense of the performers participating in the act of making a living, breathing music that brings the format back into contemporary life and culture.
The Guardian

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