With its superior 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.
As 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.
The equally high skill level among the four musical partners results in performances with unbroken,
interwoven clarity of lines, distinct voicing, and laser-like purity. “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 Ginastera's Danzas
Argentinas, Piazzolla's Windy, Debussy's Petite Suite 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; Iberian Quartet, a threemovement piece commissioned for the MGQ with flamenco dancer Sachiko Nishiuchi “La Chayí” by
composer Ben Abrahamson; and their own arrangements of Purple Rain by pop icon and Minnesota
native, Prince; and Friday on My Mind by the ‘60s Australian group, The Easy Beats.
These diverse ventures represent the quartet’s intention to bring distinctive and imaginative
experiences to its audiences. It has developed three productions with flamenco dancer Sachiko
Nishiuchi “La Chayí” —including Abrahamson’s new work that fully delves into the flamenco realm.
Other Nishiuchi collaborations feature the MGQ’s own arrangements of music by the great Spanish
composers Joaquin Rodrigo and Enrique Granados. Coupled with Ms. Nishiuchi’s choreography, these
programs reflect the extraordinary vitality and diversity of Spanish culture.
The quartet also has created 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.
The MGQ has performed its many programs in recital throughout the United States and Mexico in
such cities as Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Baltimore, Omaha, and Boston. The quartet
also has been featured at 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 times at the Guitar Foundation of
America Festival. Concerto appearances include the Austin Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra,
Minnesota Orchestra and Columbus Symphony, among many others. In March 2015, the quartet
performed at the Guitar Art Festival in Belgrade, Serbia and has been invited back to perform in the
Summer Guitar Art Festival in Herceg Novi, Montenegro in 2016.
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 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.
For more information, please visit www.minneapolisguitarquartet.com, follow on Facebook and
Twitter @MplsGuitarQt
Updated September 2015