CD release of The Global Symphony Project: Ecstatic Verses.
Free Planet Radio and The Opal String Quartet were recipients of the prestigious Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program Grant for 2014 and will be showcasing original collaborative compositions from the ‘Global Symphony: Ecstatic Verses’ recording.
Free Planet Radio members consist of multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser, two time Grammy Award winner Eliot Wadopian and world renowned percussionist River Guerguerian. The Opal String Quartet features Ginger Kowal and Mariya Potapova on violins, Kara Poorbaugh on viola, and Franklin Keel on cello.
For over a decade, Free Planet Radio has been bringing its exciting and innovative world-classical music blend to both concert stages and classrooms. Based in Asheville, this musical partnership began with a clear mission statement as “the shared vision of three multi-instrumentalists exploring the infinite and seamless relationships between musical cultures through the universal language of sound.”
Free Planet Radio performances expertly weave the melodic and rhythmic structures of Middle Eastern, Indian and North African music, with the subtleties and harmonic vocabulary of Western classical music. Performing mostly original compositions, even while playing extremely complex melodies and time signatures, the trio always maintains a sense of accessibility, spontaneity and easy engagement with the audience.
Emerging from three of the country’s finest music schools, Free Planet Radio consists of two-time Grammy winner Eliot Wadopian leaping effortlessly between rhythm and melody on electric and string basses; River Guerguerian on an extensive array of global percussion instruments including Middle Eastern frame drums and doumbek, the Indian kanjira, African shakers, and Western drum set; and Chris Rosser exploring melody on the 17-stringed Indian dotar, Turkish cumbus oud, guitar, piano and melodica.
The Opal String Quartet, formed in 2006, is a professional chamber ensemble based in Asheville. Known for its fiery intensity and polished precision, the OSQ is dedicated to bringing the art of chamber music to diverse audiences by performing in a wide variety of venues, from schools, bars, and art galleries to street corners and concert halls.
While taking a fresh approach to traditional masterworks, the quartet specializes in the performance of contemporary repertoire, and enjoys collaborating with living composers and premiering new works. OSQ members are passionate advocates of chamber music for young people and maintain active teaching studios in the Asheville area.
The OSQ serves as Artists-in-Residence for the educational outreach programs of the Asheville Chamber Music Series, the Asheville Symphony Guild, and the Brevard Philharmonic.
If You Go: CD release celebration of ‘The Global Symphony Project: Ecstatic Verses’ by Free Planet Radio & The Opal String Quartet, Friday, August 28, 2015 at 8:30 p.m. at the Isis Restaurant and Music Hall, 743 Haywood Rd. in Asheville. Tickets are $12 adv., $15 door. Dinner reservations recommended for reserved seating. Tickets available by calling (828) 575-2737 or visit isisasheville.com.
