(GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass.) – Contemporary string quartet Ethel will perform “Grace,” an innovative, adventurous program featuring works by Ennio Morricone, Jeff Buckley, Vijay Iyer, Son Lux, Marcelo Zarvos, Nico Muhly and others, at the Mahaiwe on Saturday, June 21, 2014, at 8pm.

The centerpiece for the program is Ethel’s own adaptation of Ennio Morricone’s score to the 1986 film, “The Mission.” Morricone’s score was nominated for an Academy Award in 1986 and won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score. The film deals with cross-cultural complexities fueled by the quest for redemption against the backdrop of the jungles of South America.

Also featured in the concert are special quartet treatments honoring the 20th anniversary of the release of Jeff Buckley’s “Grace,” his only completed studio album. Favorite Ethel composers and collaborators including Mary Ellen Childs, jazz pianist/composer Vijay Iyer, Carlo Mombelli, and contemporary classical music composer Nico Muhly fill out the program.

Described as “indefatigable and eclectic” (the New York Times) and “vital and brilliant” (the New Yorker), the string quartet ETHEL invigorates the contemporary music scene with exuberance, intensity, imaginative programming, and exceptional artistry.

At the heart of ETHEL is a collaborative ethos – a quest for a common creative expression that is forged in the celebration of community. As cultural and musical “pollinators,” the quartet brings its collaborative discoveries to audiences through multi-dimensional musical repertoire and community engagement.

ETHEL performs adventurous music by celebrated contemporary composers such as Philip Glass, Julia Wolfe, Phil Kline, Andy Akiho, David Lang, John King, Raz Mesinai, John Zorn, Steve Reich, Anna Clyne, Kenji Bunch, JacobTV, Don Byron, Marcelo Zarvos, Evan Ziporyn, Judd Greenstein, Terry Riley, Mary Ellen Childs and Son Lux.

ETHEL currently serves as: Ensemble-in-Residence at the Grand Canyon Music Festival’s Native American Composers Apprenticeship Project; House Band of TEDxManhattan; and Resident Ensemble at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Balcony Bar. Founded in 1998 and based in New York City, ETHEL is comprised of Ralph Farris (viola), Dorothy Lawson (cello), Kip Jones (violin) and Tema Watstein (violin).