Educating the next generation of musicians is an integral part of the quartet’s mission, and the players are invigorated by the ways in which teaching and performing support and feed off each other. The Fry Street Quartet holds the Dan C. and Manon Caine Russell Endowed String Quartet Residency at the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University, and as the string faculty, each member of the ensemble teaches his or her instrument as well as chamber music studies.
The FSQ has created a tightly knit string program of highly motivated students who receive an extraordinary amount of attention and care from their mentors. Students of the ensemble have gone on to renowned graduate programs, including those at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Northwestern University, Royal Conservatory of Scotland, New England Conservatory, Peabody Institute of Music, and The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and have won MTNA and ASTA competitions in solo and chamber music categories, the Lion’s Club International Violin Competition, and the T. Gordon Parks Collegiate Concerto Competition.
In partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Logan, the quartet has brought world-class artists to Utah State for performances and masterclasses, including the Emerson, Jerusalem and Brentano quartets. As part of the Visiting Artist and Lecture Series at USU the quartet has presented residencies by visiting artists such as James Dunham, Paul Katz, and Libby Larsen, as well as principal players from the Utah Symphony. In addition to their work at the university, the quartet’s members have held positions and given masterclasses at DePaul University, the Madeline Island Music Camp, Oficina de Musica de Curitiba, the Einfeldt Chamber Music Seminar, Credo at Oberlin, The Crowden School, and the American String Teachers Association national convention.
Innovative projects are a feature of the String Program at USU. Currently underway is a residency partnership with composer Gabriela Lena Frank and composers from her Creative Academy of Music. Chamber Music in the Spring 2021 and Spring of 2023 semesters featured 21st century works by diverse voices, including premieres of works by composers Kerwin Young, Andrew Rodriguez, Dawn Norfleet, and Jungyoon Wie. Students were able to workshop the pieces with the composers either in person or via Zoom.
In 2017, the FSQ launched the Fry Street Chamber Music Festival on their home campus at Utah State University. Focusing on string players ages 14-18, the FSCMF seeks to create engaged and passionate chamber musicians and citizens through a uniquely personalized and intense environment of study. Daily rehearsals, coachings, and other activities give students the opportunity to learn lifelong skills of collaboration, trust, and communication, all while deepening their musical understanding. In addition to student performances, the FSQ and guest artists are featured in concerts throughout the weeklong festival. More information can be found here.
California
Crowden Music Center Chamber Music Workshop Faculty
Utah
Intermountain Suzuki String Institute Guest Artist and Faculty for Chamber Days with the Fry Street Quartet
Fry Street Chamber Music Festival
Kansas
Bows at the Barn String Camp in Wichita, KS
Nevada
Las Vegas Academy Masterclasses & Recital
Fry Street Quartet Closes 20th Anniversary Season With Special Celebration Concert
Fry Street Quartet Announces Gabriela Lena Frank as Composer-in-Residence
USU String Chamber Music Premieres Works from Two Composers in Crossing Borders Concert
Fry Street Chamber Music Festival 2020
FSQ Joins Faculty of The Crowden School's Summer Chamber Music Workshop
FSQ Celebrates 10 Years of Intensive Quartet Seminar at Intermountain Suzuki String Institute