Calling all violin fans! The Artaria String Quartet and the Ernest Bisong Group, both of which are renowned string-led groups based in the Twin Cities, will share a bill on this special evening at Berlin. The Artaria String Quartet will present an excellent classical program, while Bisong’s quartet will share a set of remarkably fun and skillful jazz.

Artaria String Quartet members:

Ray Shows - Violin
Nancy Oliveros - Violin
Annalee Wolf - Viola
Rebecca Merblum - Cello

Ernest Bisong Group members:

Ernest Bisong - Violin
Ben Ehrlich - Drums
Jack Barrett - Piano
Charlie Bruber - Bass

⟡

Hailed by the Star Tribune as “Minnesota’s foremost teaching and performing string quartet,” the Artaria String Quartet comprises violinist Ray Shows, violinist Nancy Oliveros, violist Annalee Wolf, and cellist Rebecca Merblum. Artaria received the prestigious 2004 McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians; was featured on Twin Cities Public Television as part of the “Minnesota Originals” series; and was named Classical MPR Artists-in-Residence. They recently celebrated their thirty-fifth year of chamber music performing and educating.

Artaria was formed in Boston and was mentored by venerable members of the Kolisch and Juilliard Quartets. Their refined, thoughtful playing brought them to the attention of Alexander Schneider, violinist of the legendary Budapest Quartet, who invited them to make their New York debut on his New School Concert Series. Since then, they have performed at major venues throughout the United States and Europe, on national television and public radio, and at top international music festivals. In 1992, Artaria competed at the Fourth Banff International String Quartet Competition in Banff, CA. Earning numerous awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, and the Minnesota State Arts Board for excellence in performance and educational outreach, Artaria are founders of the highly regarded Artaria Chamber Music School in Saint Paul, MN; the Stringwood Summer Chamber Music Festival in Lanesboro, MN; and the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, which showcases the nation’s top high school and collegiate string quartets each April.

⟡

Ernest Bisong was introduced to the violin at the age of nine in his home country of Nigeria. He has since studied with several notable tutors and performers from around the world, including Rachel Barton-Pine (American violinist), Sir Godfrey Amoah (Ghanaian violinist), Louis Jones (British violinist), Agnes Nagy (Hungarian cellist), and Thomas Kanitz (cellist of the Reger String Quartet and Dortmund Symphony Orchestra).

In addition to his mainstream classical background, Bisong found an appreciation for more contemporary musical styles and thus began an exploration of the jazz genre. Shortly afterward, his performance at the 2008 HipHop World Awards in Lagos with ace producer Cobhams Asuquo registered the violin as a “soulful” instrument: an attribute mostly associated with non-classical instruments in the country. In 2011, he performed at the African Leadership Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with the illustrious Bez. In 2012, he was on the Nigerian contingent to perform at the African Showcase of South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX. He has since opened for such acts as Richard Bona, Mike Stern, Marcus Johnson, Marsha Ambrosius, and Anita Baker. In 2013, Bisong became the first Nigerian to obtain performance diploma certification from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London with a distinction. In the maiden edition of Venture Career Journal Nigeria released that same year, he was referred to as “arguably Africa’s foremost contemporary violinist.”

Bisong regularly performs with the Minneapolis String Project, a genre-blending trio that draws from jazz, fusion, soul, and global influences. He also leads the Ernest Bisong Group, showcasing original compositions that merge jazz with the rhythmic and melodic sensibilities of his African heritage. Through his dynamic performances and innovative approach to the violin, Ernest Bisong continues to expand the instrument’s expressive possibilities while captivating audiences worldwide.