It’s hard to believe that 10 years have passed since a young string quartet came to Utah State University to begin a residency program. No one expected them to stay this long, but the truth of the matter is the Fry Street Quartet had found a home. And both the quartet and the school have been happy with the arrangement. “Having a home base allowed us to concentrate on our artistic pursuits,” said FSQ founder and second violinist Rebecca McFaul. “And having the stability of a job also gave us the opportunity to focus on the impact we could have on the community.”
Fry Street Quartet
The anniversary will be commemorated with a special concert on Thursday in The Performance Hall on the USU campus. “That’s going to be our official 10th anniversary,” McFaul said. The first half of the program has Johannes Brahms’ Quartet in C minor, op. 51, no. 1, and a few short pieces by Antonin Dvorak, including movements from his Cypresses. The second half will focus on a single work, J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G major, BWV 1048, in which the members of FSQ will be joined by some of their current and former students.
At the concert there will be an official announcement of the Dan C. and Manon Caine Russell String Quartet Residency Endowment. Along with funds from USU, the endowment will ensure a permanent residency program at the Caine College of the Arts. “This was a personal legacy [the Russells] wanted to leave to the community and the college,” McFaul said. “They’ve been generous and authentic stewards of the arts and they believe in investing in what they care about.”
During the past decade, both FSQ and the music department at USU have grown considerably. “We arrived here as an emerging group, and over the years we have been steadily moving forward with the quality and scope of our projects,” McFaul said.
One of the quartet’s biggest endeavors to date was a complete Beethoven cycle in 2008. And while another major quartet cycle isn’t out of the question, the foursome has been experimenting and expanding. “More recently we’ve been spreading our wings,” McFaul said. That’s taken shape as The Crossroads Project, an ongoing multi-disciplinary venture that interweaves science and music. “It’s taken on a life of its own.”
FSQ has also become the quartet-in-residence of the NOVA Chamber Music Series in Salt Lake City. “We’re thrilled to be a part of NOVA,” McFaul said. “We do a concert annually with them. Jason [artistic director Jason Hardink] and Kimi [executive director Kimi Kawashima] are doing a fantastic job.” FSQ will play Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet at NOVA’s April 21 concert.
In addition to its concerts in Logan and elsewhere around the state, the quartet also tours nationally and internationally. And despite having a fairly rigorous concert schedule, the four members of FSQ maintain a busy teaching load as well. In fact, it’s FSQ that has basically built and developed the string program at USU. “We have seen a steady climb in the numbers and [playing] level of the students,” McFaul said. The quality of the training these students receive is reflected in the summer camps and graduate schools they enter. “Our string students motivate each other,” she said. “They’re so diligent; it’s wonderful being around them. We’re really enjoying the environment that exists here now.”
And even with everything they’ve accomplished so far, McFaul said no one in FSQ is ready to rest on their laurels just yet. “We keep looking for ways to be relevant. We’re looking beyond the traditional concert experience. We’re looking to be more ambitious and push the boundaries further. And we’re in a position right now to explore many more artistic outlets.”
- CONCERT DETAILS
- What: Fry Street Quartet
- Venue: The Performance Hall, Chase Fine Arts Center, Utah State University
- Time and Date: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 7
- Tickets: $15 general, $10 seniors and youth, $8 USU faculty and staff, free for USU students with ID
- Phone: 435-797-8022
- Web: www.arts.usu.edu