Prepare to embark on a musical journey that defies convention and celebrates diversity as the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Schubert Club bring to life two groundbreaking events. February 23 marks a captivating performance of 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones' at the Ordway Center, featuring Terence Blanchard and the Turtle Island Quartet. On May 10, experience the Quartet's genre-bending artistry at Minneapolis' Parkway Theater. These events promise a fusion of classical and contemporary influences, showcasing the boundary-pushing creativity of renowned musicians and composers.

Unveiling the Transformative Power of Music: An Evening with Fire Shut Up in My Bones and the Turtle Island Quartet

Prepare to embark on a musical journey like no other as the Turtle Island Quartet collaborates with Terence Blanchard to present 'Fire Shut Up in My Bones.' This event, held at the Ordway Center and Parkway Theater, promises an electrifying fusion of chamber music and contemporary American styles. Join Nicholas Newton, Adrienne Danrich, and visual artist Andrew F. Scott for an unforgettable performance that pushes the boundaries of classical music.

A Symphony of Innovation: The Turtle Island Quartet and Terence Blanchard Unite

Terence Blanchard brings his band The E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet to reprise Blanchard’s iconic Malcolm X Jazz Suite. The first iteration of this project was created following the release of Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed 1992 Film Malcolm X, the Jazz Suite is a resetting of Blanchard’s own score from the film with his band. These new arrangements for his current band offer a fresh look at a work that has thrilled Blanchard’s fans and rippled through all his subsequent recordings for the last three decades.

Terence Blanchard: Malcolm X Jazz Suite

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winnertwo Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles. Their Schubert Club Mix program features works by David Balakrishnan, Terence Blanchard, Rhiannon Giddens & Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate.

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Turtle Island Quartet

The Parkway Theater

Join us for an unforgettable evening with the Turtle Island Quartet at the Parkway Theater on Saturday, May 10th, at 7:30 PM. Since its formation in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has revolutionized chamber music, blending the classical quartet aesthetic with contemporary American musical styles. The ensemble, a two-time Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Crossover Album, will present a program featuring works by David Balakrishnan, Terence Blanchard, Rhiannon Giddens, and Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate as part of the Schubert Club Mix series.

This performance promises to be a unique fusion of classical and modern music, showcasing the quartet's innovative approach to string chamber music. Tickets will go on sale in early August 2024, offering a rare opportunity to experience the groundbreaking artistry of the Turtle Island Quartet.

Event Details:
- Date: Saturday, May 10th
- Time: 7:30 PM
- Location: Parkway Theater, 4814 Chicago Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55417

Don't miss this exceptional musical journey with the Turtle Island Quartet. Mark your calendars and plan to purchase your tickets early!

Based on the 2014 memoir by Charles M. Blow, with music by Terence Blanchard, and libretto by Kasi Lemmons, the opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones premiered at Opera Theater St. Louis in 2019. The Metropolitan Opera opened its season with the work in in 2021 — the first in its 138 years written by an African American composer. It became an unparalleled success and was staged again during the Met’s 2023-2024 season. In an effort to continue the message that opera and classical music are for everyone, Blanchard and The E-Collective have teamed up with the Grammy-winning Turtle Island Quartet and visual artist Andrew F. Scott to create a concert production that features excerpts from the opera performed by the composer, this incredible ensemble, and two guest singers. The music and Scott’s video projections give the audience a look inside the mind of Blanchard and the world he created.

Fire Shut Up in My Bones with the Turtle Island Quartet

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

Renowned for his trumpet prowess and composing skills, seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner Terence Blanchard makes his Severance Music Center debut with Absence, an evening of music honoring his mentor, jazz icon Wayne Shorter. Joined by longtime collaborators the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet, Blanchard celebrates both the brilliance of Shorter’s legacy and the inspiration he has given Blanchard, influencing his ever-expanding amalgam of music and storytelling.

Terence Blanchard and Friends: A Celebration of Wayne Shorter

Severance Music Center

Superstar trumpeter Terence Blanchard wraps up the season’s Jazz Series with a stellar fusion of his acclaimed band, E-Collective, and the double-GRAMMY®-winning Turtle Island Quartet in a program of original work and arrangements of Wayne Shorter’s music: Absence. Blanchard’s brilliant compositions also incorporate a string quartet, widening his signature spectrum of color and expression.  

Terence Blanchard: Absence Featuring the E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet

Jacoby Symphony Hall

Following their appearance with Terence Blanchard & E-Collective, the Turtle Island Quartet returns with Island Prayers. This performance features four new works co-commissioned by Savannah Music Festival, composed by founding violinist David Balakrishnan, Rhiannon Giddens, Terence Blanchard and Jerod Impichchaachaacha’ Tate.

Island Prayers: Turtle Island Quartet

Trustees Theater

Island Prayers represents Grammy Award–winning Turtle Island Quartet’s new identity as an original musical ensemble. The Schwartz Center for Performing Arts is a proud commissioning partner in this ambitious, multi-composer project with works by jazz composer Terence Blanchard, MacArthur Genius Fellow Rhiannon Giddens, New Music USA Composer-in-Residence Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and Turtle Island Quartet founder David Balakrishnan.

Candler Concert Series: Turtle Island Quartet: Island Prayers

Emory University

Oscar nominee and seven-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter/composer Terence Blanchard and his electric ensemble are joined by the double Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet to perform arrangements of Wayne Shorter’s music along with an array of original work.

Terence Blanchard’s E-Collective with Turtle Island Quartet

The Royal Conservatory of Music

Terence Blanchard’s opera Fire Shut Up in My Bones made history in 2021 as the first opera written by a Black composer to be staged at the Metropolitan Opera. This “opera in jazz,” as Blanchard describes it, tells the true coming-of-age story of a young boy growing up in the face of great adversity and forging his personal identity. Now, Terence Blanchard brings us a new suite of music from the opera, performed by the celebrated trumpeter and his E-Collective, the Grammy Award-winning Turtle Island Quartet and vocalists Nicholas Newton and Adrienne Danrich. With projections by visual artist Andrew F. Scott.

Terence Blanchard —Fire Shut Up In My Bones

McCallum Theatre

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammys® for Best Classical Crossover Album, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of bold, new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover Album, TIQ fuses the classical quartet esthetic with contemporary American musical styles, and by devising a performance practice that honors both, the state of the art has inevitably been redefined. Cellist nonpareil Yo-Yo Ma has proclaimed TIQ to be “a unified voice that truly breaks new ground – authentic and passionate – a reflection of some of the most creative music-making today.”

Argyros Performing Arts Center

“I’m proud to have a chance to visit some of the music that has shaped my musical identity,” says Terence Blanchard of Absence, his amazing tribute to Wayne Shorter that received Grammy nominations in November 2021 for Best Instrumental Jazz Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo for Terence. “Wayne said that ‘Jazz’ means ‘I dare you,’ so why not dare to be creative and pay homage at the same time?” Touring with the E-Collective are SJW favorites including Grammy winner Taylor Eigsti on piano and Charles Altura on guitar. The pairing of Wayne Shorter’s music with original works from The E-Collective along with the sonic colors of the jazz virtuosos in the Turtle Island Quartet — who return to SJW for the first time in over 20 years! — is one of the most exciting shows in the world. Don’t miss it.

Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective & Turtle Island String Quartet

Stanford University

Join us in welcoming jazz great and celebrated opera composer Terence Blanchard (Fire Shut Up in My Bones and Champion) and an incredible line-up to the Portland Opera stage for this one-night-only celebration. In collaboration with the Portland Opera Orchestra, we'll hear from guest stars for an unforgettable night of musical fusion and ensemble work. 

Portland Opera's Co-Artistic Advisor Karen Slack makes her Portland Opera debut, with guest artist and Portland-favorite Will Liverman. Plus, Maestro Damien Geter (Co-Artistic Advisor and Interim Music Director) makes his Portland Opera conducting debut.

ABSENCE: Terence Blanchard

Keller Auditorium

Celebrated jazz trumpeter and film composer Terence Blanchard pays homage to legendary saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, the inspiration that has influenced Blanchard’s music and storytelling. Featuring the acclaimed trumpeter with The E-Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet, they will present pieces written by Shorter as well as original compositions by Blanchard and members of his band—resulting in “a lush and dramatic soundscape that calls to mind Blanchard’s career as a successful film composer” (New Yorker).

“I’m proud to have a chance to visit some of the music that has shaped my musical identity,” says Blanchard. “Pairing Wayne Shorter’s music with original works from The E-Collective along with the sonic colors of The Turtle Island Quartet has been an amazing experience. Wayne has said before ‘Jazz means I Dare You,’ so why not dare to be creative and pay homage at the same time,” said Blanchard.

Turtle Island Quartet

Dec 5, 2025

Terence Blanchard: Malcolm X Jazz Suite

May 10, 2025

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