Turtle Island String Quartet

Biography

The Turtle Island String Quartet was founded in 1985 in the San Francisco Bay Area by violinist David Balakrishnan, who conceived the idea during his master's degree program at Antioch University West. Balakrishnan, inspired by innovative string music scenes, collaborated with fiddler Darol Anger, cellist Mark Summer—who had recently moved from the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra—and violist Laurie Moore, one of Balakrishnan's improvisation students. Their debut performance featured Balakrishnan's compositions alongside jazz arrangements like Bach chorales transitioning into 'All of Me' and Miles Davis' 'So What,' establishing their signature fusion of classical chamber music with jazz, folk, bluegrass, swing, bebop, funk, R&B, rock, hip-hop, Latin American, and Indian influences.[1][2]

Fun Facts

• Named after Native American creation mythology referring to North America as 'Turtle Island,' reflecting their melding of American musical traditions.[1][4]
• Yo-Yo Ma praised them as 'a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.'[2][5]
• Many members, including Irene Sazer, Jeremy Cohen, and Mads Tolling, switched instruments (from violin to viola) specifically to join the group.[1]
• Revived 200-year-old improvisational chamber traditions from Haydn's era, treating string players like modern jazz saxophonists and keyboardists.[2]

Members

• Darol Anger (from 1985 until 1997)
• Mark Summer (from 1985 until 2015)
• David Balakrishnan - violin (from 1985)
• Katrina Wreede - viola (from 1990 until 1992)
• Danny Seidenberg (from 1992 until 2003)
• Benjamin von Gutzeit - viola (from 2012)
• Gabe Terracciano - violin (from 2018)
• Naseem Alatrash - cello (from 2021)

Original Members

• David Balakrishnan - violin
• Benjamin von Gutzeit - viola
• Gabe Terracciano - violin
• Naseem Alatrash - cello

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Matt Glaser - Recommended key members including Mads Tolling (Member recruitment for recordings like those post-2003) [2000s]

Key Collaborators

• Darol Anger - Co-founder and original violinist (Early concerts, debut LP including 'Stolen Moments,' 'Milestones,' 'A Night in Tunisia') [1985-1997]
• Mark Summer - Original cellist (Formational performances and early recordings) [1985-1990s]
• Irene Sazer - Founding violist who switched from violin (National touring and early albums) [1986 onward]
• Danny Seidenberg - Long-term violist (Recordings post-1992) [1992-2003]
• Evan Price - Violinist replacing Anger (Telarc recordings including Grammy winners) [1997-present]
• Mads Tolling - Violist, Berklee graduate from Denmark (Post-2003 albums) [2003 onward]
• The Ying Quartet - Collaborators on crossover project (Album '4+Four' (Grammy winner 2006)) [2005-2006]

External Links

• Spotify
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #folk, #jazz, #string-quartet