MASQ is the first African American music ensemble in history to win a classical musical competition. Reflecting their belief that classical music is meant for everyone, the quartet performs in venues ranging from the concert stage to soup kitchens and from presidential inaugurals to juvenile correctional facilities.
The Jan. 28 workshop performance will include several short pieces by student ensembles under the coaching of MASQ. It will conclude with a performance of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis" by MASQ, high school students from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and members of the Gustavus Symphony Orchestra.
Gustavus has a strong chamber music program. It has eight string quartets and a full symphony orchestra that tours each winter. Next year it will add a second full symphony orchestra -- making it one of the few liberal arts colleges in the nation to do so.
Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minn., that prepares 2,500 undergraduates for lives of leadership, service, and lifelong learning. The oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota, Gustavus was founded in 1862 by Swedish immigrants and named for Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. At Gustavus, students receive personal attention in small-sized classes and engage in collaborative research with their professors. Fully accredited and known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs, Gustavus hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference.
###