"I've never heard any music like this before."
That's what David Ying of the Ying Quartet said about tonight's concert they're performing in Corson Auditorium with jazz legend Billy Childs and his Jazz Chamber Ensemble.
Three of the Ying Quartet's members are siblings: violinist Janet, violist Phillip and cellist David. First violinist Robin Scott joined the ensemble in 2015.
"We think that, just to be fair, every fourth year we should be the Scott Quartet," David Ying said. "That might get confusing, though."
The Ying Quartet first came to prominence when they received an NEA Rural Residence Grant and served as the quartet-in-residence of Jesup, Iowa, a rural town of approximately two thousand people.
David Ying said that the quartet's experience in Jesup in the early 1990s was magical. "I don't think the people in Jesup had any idea what they were in for," he said. "I don't think we had any idea what we were in for. It was really educational for us."
The Ying Quartet has been the quartet-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music for many years. They also established theAdvanced String Quartet program at Interlochen Arts Camp.
David Ying said they loved the three summers they spent at camp with the string quartet program. They even wore the camp uniform even though it was required of them. "Of course we're wearing the uniforms," he said. "That's the Interlochen way."
With support from the Institute for American Music, the Ying Quartet has commissioned new music that reflects contemporary American life.
David Ying said that they don't necessarily think of the repertoire as "new music," though. "Classical music has an incredibly long history and rich troves of music, but it has always been new at one time or another," he explained.
The Ying Quartet also has a restaurant guide on their website, which they put together after spending many years on the road.
"You have to eat," David Ying explained. "So you might as well eat as well as you can."
They're always on the lookout for good Chinese restaurants wherever they go, but they also are on the hunt for things like the best doughnut in the United States.
David Ying said the current leader is New York City's Doughnut Plant. "Every bite has the exact right proportion of filling and dough," he explained.
The Ying Quartet performs with Billy Childs and his Jazz Chamber Ensemble tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Corson Auditorium at Interlochen Center for the Arts. Special guests include flutist Nancy Stagnitta and vocalist Sara Gazarek. Click here for more information.
Michael Culler engineered this recording session, which took place in Corson Auditorium.
Thanks to Shelby Eppich and Stefan Wiebe for additional support.
Music performed in this feature
Antonin Dvorak, String Quartet no. 10 in E-flat major (op. 59), first movement (Allegro ma non troppo)
Billy Childs, Oscuro
