Experience the Harmony of Nature: Fry Street Quartet's Unique Concert for Sustainability

The Fry Street Quartet is set to deliver a one-of-a-kind musical encounter from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall.

Known for their years of musical prowess as a string quartet and collaborative efforts with guest artists and composers, the Fry Street Quartet, comprised of Utah State University's resident artists, will unveil a project echoing the essence of Utah's landscape. A surround-sound experience featuring field recordings of the sharp-tailed and greater sage grouse will envelop audiences in a new work entitled “Lek” by Los Angeles-based composer Nicolás Lell Benavides, commissioned by the NOVA Chamber Music Series.

To support sustainability, 50 percent of the concert's ticket sales will be donated to the Bridgerland Audubon Society. Attending this performance will back the organization’s commitment to preserving landscapes and native habitats.

“When considering ideas for this new piece, all of us in the quartet agreed that we wanted to explore themes related to some aspect of sustainability,” said Professor Rebecca McFaul, violin.

She also said the sage grouse is iconic to the state of Utah, but global heating and habitat destruction is endangering both these birds and the biosphere as a whole.

“The Audubon Society, and particularly our local chapter, is dedicated to seeing, supporting, and celebrating these incredible creatures that share our world,” McFaul said.

Professor Bradley Ottesen, viola, added that the Audubon Society is made up of devoted citizens who work tirelessly to educate the community on issues of sustainability and to protect and conserve our region’s natural resources for all residents — human and non-human alike.

“We couldn’t think of a better organization to partner with,” Ottesen said.

Nicolás Benavides visited Cache Valley to witness the birds in their natural breeding grounds. Assisted by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, field recordings of the two sage grouse birds form the backdrop of his new composition, "Lek for String Quartet and Electronics." The unique piece written for the Fry Street Quartet represents the early morning mating rituals of these birds. The scene will be set by Haydn’s “Sunrise” Quartet, which opens the concert, and the program will close with Beethoven’s String Quartet in F Major, Opus 135, which holds a special place in history as Beethoven’s final complete work.

The field recordings included in the piece are “at various times, beautiful, hilarious, peaceful, boastful, excited,” said Professor Robert Waters, violin. The surround-sound experience in the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall “is really something to behold — different than the standard string quartet experience,” he said.

Tickets are $15 for adults 18 and older, $8 for seniors 65 and up, $8 for USU faculty and staff, and free for youth under 18 and USU students.

For more information and ticket purchases, please visit the event page online.