Turtle Island Quartet

Since its inception in 1985, TIQ has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma proclaimed TIQ “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground–authentic and passionate–a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.” The Quartet’s birth was the result of violinist David Balakrishnan’s brainstorming explorations and compositional vision while completing his master’s at Antioch.