Music students gathered on the Pick-Staiger Concert Hall stage Wednesday to learn jazz technique from members of the Turtle Island Quartet, the “bad boys of the string quartet world,” Richard Van Kleeck said.
The quartet came to Northwestern as the first stop on their 25th-anniversary tour to perform and teach a master class for string students. The event also kicked off Pick-Staiger’s lineup of performers for its sixth annual spring festival, “Celebration! Stolen Moments–Hidden Gems.”
Before the class, Van Kleeck, Pick-Staiger’s director, said the group is expanding the idea of what a quartet can be.
“We get to have this group that’s been so inventive and creative and they broke all the rules,” Van Kleeck said. “It’s my favorite kind of group, doing all the things string quartets weren’t doing before when they started playing 25 years ago.”
Two members of the group, Jeremy Kittel and Mads Tolling, taught the master class at noon to “show a lot of the techniques they learned how to use playing jazz,” Van Kleeck said.
The workshop was open to any interested string students. About 10 students played their instruments with Kittel and Tolling.
After the class, Kittel said he was impressed with the students’ abilities.
“(The class) was great,” he said. “The students were really open and attentive, wonderful players. They definitely translated what we were teaching them directly into their instruments.”
During the class, Kittel and Tolling critiqued the students and gave them instruction, such as to keep their playing “smooth, hip and groovy,” and “dramatic, like James Bond.”
Erin Gallagher played viola in the class. Although she said she has never played music by the Turtle Island Quartet before, she said she was familiar with their style.
“I’ve always admired their playing,” the Bienen sophomore said. “It’s a blend of jazz and classical, and it’s really alternative.”
Wednesday night the quartet performed a concert at Pick-Staiger along with guest musicians, pianist Cyrus Chestnut and mandolinist Mike Marshall.
“It’s exciting to present a concert here,” Kittel said before the show. “We’re prepared, but in playing jazz and improvised music, there’s a lot up in the air when you get on stage. We’re really happy to have such a beautiful venue and celebrate our 25th anniversary.”
It’s important for students to be familiar with groups like the Turtle Island Quartet, Van Kleeck said.
“There are a lot of different ways to make a living as a musician and not just to follow the rules,” he said. “Make your own path.”
