With imagination, artistry, and musical mastery, the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet has made its case as “one of the major guitar ensembles in the world” (Soundboard Magazine)since its formation in 1986. One of the very few guitar ensembles performing the majority of its repertoire from memory, the foursome—Joseph Hagedorn, Maja Radovanlija, Ben Kunkel and Wade Oden—moves with ease through original works for guitar quartet to its own brilliant arrangements, and from major commissions to unexpected collaborations. With their extraordinary abilities, MGQ’svirtuosicperformances offer beautifully distinct voicing, interwoven clarity of lines, and laser-like purity. At the same time, withengaging stage presence and good humor, they build an intimate and comfortable rapport with their audiences. “More than a guitar quartet, more than superb musicians, and more than a great chamber group,” says composer/performer Daniel Bernard Roumain. “They are ambassadors of sound, style, and substance.”
Some of the most sought-after of the MGQ’s exceptional arrangements are Alberto Ginastera's Danzas Argentinas, Piazzolla's Windy, Debussy's Petite Suite, piano music of Joaquin Rodrigo, and the extremely popular folk-based music of Finnish performer/composer Maria Kalaniemi. Mussorgsky’s “Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks” from the composer’s Pictures at an Exhibition is an audience encore favorite. Web magazine minor7th.com called the MGQ’s recording of the full piece “the best arrangement of these 16 movements I have heard…While staying true to the original sense of the pieces, the Quartet brings fresh colors and lyricism.”
Recent projects include an arrangement of Old Castle, by the river, in the middle of the forest, a contemporary jazz piece by Japanese composer and pianist Hiromi; StarWaves, a thrilling and virtuosic new work based on the music of British pop/rock musician Nick Drake written for the MGQ by composer Ian Krouse; and their own arrangement of Purple Rain by pop icon and Minnesota native, Prince.
The MGQ’s diverse and innovative collaborations include programs with flamenco dancer Sachiko “La Chayí” featuring music of the great Spanish composers Joaquin Rodrigo and Enrique Granados and contemporary flamenco guitarist/composer Ben Abrahamson; a full program with Gao Hong, master of the Chinese pipa (akin to a lute), which successfully traverses both character and culture from East to West; and a program for guitar quartet with choir featuring the recently commissioned work Music of Love and the Starsby notable choral composer Jeffrey Van in addition to arrangements of well-known works by Gabriel Fauré.
The MGQ has performed its many programs in recital throughout the United States and Mexico, toured to festivals in Serbia and Montenegro, and in 2017 was invited to perform seven concerts in six cities throughout China. Notable performances include Princeton University, the Il Encuentro Internacional de Guitarra at the National Arts Center in Mexico City, San Francisco’s Omni Foundation Dynamite Guitar series, the Round Top International Guitar Festival in Texas, and several invitations to the Guitar Foundation of America Festival. Concerto appearances include the Austin Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Columbus Symphony, among many others.
The cultural accessibility of the guitar makes it a natural for the MGQ's various educational and community engagement programs like its popular "Guitar Talk" for all ages. As Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio during the 2014 season, the MGQ performed for elementary school students throughout the Twin Cities. The MGQ's newest educational offering is its “Guitar Ensemble Crash Course,” a 90-minute class introducing participants to the "hands-on" experience of guitar ensemble playing, culminating in a live performance. All members of the Minneapolis Guitar Quartet are regular teachers and collegiate faculty members and frequently conduct master classes and workshops at festivals and universities throughout the United States.
The MGQ has been heard on the nationally syndicated radio program Saint Paul Sunday, and on National Public Radio’s Performance Today. The quartet also has garnered unanimous international critical acclaim from its five CDs on the Albany, GSP, and innova labels.
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Updated June 2017