ROBERT MIRABAL + ETHEL
The "vital and brilliant”* contemporary string quartet meets
Taos Pueblo's "Mystical Renaisance Man" for a cross-genre journey.
*The New Yorker
Two-time GRAMMY® Award-winner and Native American "Renaissance Man" Robert Mirabal
joins acclaimed string quartet ETHEL for a cross-genre tour de force.
Select dates in 2025-26
“Resides somewhere beyond the intersection of ceremony and show biz, at a place where multicultural collaboration becomes sacred art.”
— The Seattle Times
“Tantalizing dialog… a fine creative music borne out of diverse cultural influences, artistic experimentation and mutual respect”
— All About Jazz
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
The Red Willow
In this unique expression of 15 years of friendship and collaboration, master musician, actor, artist, and storyteller Robert Mirabal, an elder of the Taos Pueblo, teams with the New York-based string quartet ETHEL. They come together gratefully to reimagine the concert experience. Their art is a vigorous blend of joy, compassion, and vital virtuosity. Building on their previous programs Music of the Sun, The River, and Song for Taos, and more specifically addressing the challenges of the post-pandemic world, they offer a ceremony full of original music, movement, and wisdom.
ETHEL and Mirabal refer to the timeless magnificence of Taos, then explode it with a kaleidoscope of sounds that transcend geographical and temporal boundaries. Each member contributes a unique voice, and together they weave a gorgeous tapestry of sound with “colors” from Native
America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. At the pinnacle of today’s program is "Red Willow Suite", a breathtaking, ambitious piece of music and storytelling.
Audiences are immersed in a flow of music, narrative, and ritual that evokes timeless Native American traditions through contemporary musical artistry. As delivered by these master performers, the effect is breathtaking, even ecstatic. From “An Kha Na” to “Peace Calls,” through rushing rapids and still, sacred spaces, ETHEL and Robert Mirabal evoke the magic and majesty of The River which connects us all.
In concert, the experience is dazzling and the spirit full of generosity, love, and gratitude as we find our hearts healed, and our hopes raised.