The Grammy-award winning Turtle Island Quartet will perform their newest project, Island Prayers, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 20, at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center.

Turtle Island Quartet will be at the University of Arkansas as part of a two-day residency that includes lectures and masterclasses with students from UA College of Education and Health Professions and the UA Department of Music. 

The Quartet will also visit the Fayetteville High School campus engaging in arts integration workshops with the students. Led by instructor Martha Sandven, students from the Curriculum and Instruction Department's "Innovation and Creativity in Daily Practice" class will participate in a workshop on Monday, Feb. 19. In this course, students learn the value of arts integration in effective teaching and leadership. The workshop with members of the Turtle Island String Quartet will enhance and deepen students' understanding of the impact music integration has on learners of all backgrounds and ages. More than 20 aspiring educators from the College of Education and Health Professions will share their own creative projects about music integration in the secondary classroom and invite feedback from members of the quartet.

These lectures and masterclasses are part of the Faulkner Center and Breakfast Club collaboration with Fayetteville High School.  The events also open the Department of Music's year-long project, "Bridging Differences: Music's Lessons," and are co-sponsored by the McIlroy Family Endowment in the Visual and Performing Arts.

The residency will culminate in a public performance of Island Prayers at the Faulkner Center on Tuesday, Feb. 20.

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet 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 nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be "a unified voice that truly breaks new ground — authentic and passionate — a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today."

Six-time Grammy award winner, double Oscar nominee and Emmy nominee Terence Blanchard.

MacArthur Genius Fellow and Silk Road Ensemble Artistic Director Rhiannon Giddens.

New Music USA Composer-in-Residence and Joyce Award Winner Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate

Grammy-award winning Turtle Island Quartet founder, composer in residence and violinist David Balakrishnan

Reserve your tickets, via HogSync.

For questions about tickets, performance times and other related information, call Box Office at 479-575-5387, email at tickets@uark.edu, or stop by during Box Office hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday). 

For more information about Turtle Island Quartet, visit their website

About the McIlroy Family Endowment in the Visual and Performing Arts: The professorship, established in the university's Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, supports the teaching and work of professional artists who impart highly specialized knowledge essential to students' artistic, educational, and career enrichment and of value to the community at large. It was made possible through the philanthropy of Hayden and Mary Joe McIlroy and the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation.

About the Faulkner Performing Arts Center: The Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center is a 500-plus seat state of the art venue dedicated to providing a community-centered approach to the performing arts. In addition to hosting acclaimed artists and performers, the Faulkner Center is also home to the University of Arkansas music department's large ensembles. With an impressive offering of renowned performers and culturally relevant events, the Faulkner Center excels in its mission of contributing to education and excellence, helping build a new generation of artists and patrons.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students.