presents | The Folk Arts Quartet |
notloB Folk Concerts is thrilled to present for the second time FOLK ARTS QUARTET. Since their last notloB appearance at the Park Avenue Church in Arlington, FAQ "“hibernated” while Liz accepted a Fulbright grant to pursue a year-long study and research program at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (University of Limerick, Ireland). Meanwhile, others of the founding members also pursued other musical projects. In summer 2010, FAQ returns to the scene with a new lineup—welcoming Jenna Moynihan and Lea Kirstein—and tours in New England, New York, Philadelphia, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia."
notloB Folk Concerts presents the Folk Arts Quartet
at the Unity Church of God, Davis Square, SomervilleSomerville, MA ~ Under the structural guise of a string quartet, the Folk Arts Quartet breaks musical molds by fusing the worlds of folk and chamber music to produce a cross-over genre they call “ChamberGrass.” With contemporary arrangements, they perform their own tunes alongside traditional Celtic & folk tunes on Friday, August 13, 2010 @ 8:00 p.m. The concert will take place at The Unity Church of God, 6 William St., Somerville, MA. Suggested minimum donation is $12 at the door; $10 if reservation is made at least 24 hours in advance and to UCG members; $10 students (with ID) and seniors; $5 children under 13. Email notlobreservations@gmail.com for reservations, or go to http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic/ for more information.
Folk Arts Quartet (FAQ) fuses the worlds of folk and chamber music in a wild amalgam they call “ChamberGrass.” With firm roots in Celtic and American fiddle styles, FAQ enlivens traditional tunes and new compositions through innovative arrangements, recordings, and performances.
“It’s not uncommon for a modern string quartet to play some crossover material,” remarks cellist Liz Davis Maxfield, “but what we’re doing is different. We aren’t a classical quartet playing ‘an arrangement of a folk tune.’ We are fundamentally folk musicians, who know the traditions and styles, but we also happen to have extensive technical training and chamber music experience.”
The founding members of Folk Arts Quartet met in 2008 while studying at Berklee College of Music (Boston, MA), piloting their groovy, contemporary arrangements in Boston’s fertile folk music scene. At Berklee, FAQ had the honor of being mentored by some of today’s best contemporary string players, including Eugene Friesen, Mads Tolling, and John McGann. FAQ’s sound quickly grew in popularity as the quartet performed for audiences at venues such as Club Passim and WGBH’s St. Patrick’s Day Celtic Sojourn.
“Evidently passionate and extremely tight, it was an absolute delight to see them perform,” wrote Anja McCloskey, writer for Wears the Trousers Magazine.
Scots Trad Music Award winner and FAQ mentor, Natalie Haas, said “The Folk Arts Quartet is comprised of four incredibly talented young [musicians], each bringing her own unique style of fiddling to this group, which is the first of its kind in the Celtic genre. They are taking the string world by storm with their zesty arrangements of both traditional and original tunes, blending the raw, folksy sounds of a string band with the sophistication and grace of a classical string quartet.”
In March 2009, FAQ released its debut, self-titled album prior to spending the summer touring throughout the U.S. and Canada. In response to FAQ’s performance on the main stage of the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, the Festival’s musical director touted FAQ as one of her “favorite bands to watch this year.” (Cover Lay Down, 8/09)
In late 2009, FAQ “hibernated” while Liz accepted a Fulbright grant to pursue a year-long study and research program at the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (University of Limerick, Ireland). Meanwhile, the other founding members pursued independent musical projects.
In summer 2010, FAQ returns to the scene with a new lineup—welcoming Jenna Moynihan and Lea Kirstein—and tours in New England, New York, Philadelphia, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia.
Instrumentation
Liz Davis Maxfield - Cello
Ivonne Hernandez - Fiddle
Jenna Moynihan - Fiddle
Lea Kirstein - Viola
Discography
Folk Arts Quartet (2009)
Links
| http://www.folkartsquartet.com |
| MySpace |
“In this era of pop-driven acoustic music, notloB is keeping the folk tradition alive.” ~ Jack Hardy
notloB Folk Concerts (Somerville and Jamaica Plain) are volunteer run and not for profit.
Mailing list~ http://groups.google.com/group/notlobmusic
Facebook~ http://www.facebook.com/pages/notloB-Folk-Concerts/118395891509908
Website~ http://sites.google.com/site/notlobmusic
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Correction. In the original post I wrote that FAQ was a Falcon Ridge "most wanted" artist, they were not, rather they were selected as a main stage artist with no prior appearance history.
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