Catalyst Quartet & the Native American Composer Apprentice Project – Part 1

This week on “Arizona Encore,” enjoy the first of three programs from the 2023 Grand Canyon Music Festival.

The Catalyst Quartet plays a mainstay of the string quartet literature, the “Quartet in F” by Maurice Ravel. It explores the full range of tone colors and effects that stringed instruments commonly used at the turn of the 20th century. Together with Claude Debussy’s quartet it epitomizes Impressionist string chamber music.

The performers are also champions of the Native American Composer Apprentice Project (NACAP). Founded partly by Clare Hoffman, the project is the subject of an Arizona PBS documentary, “Finding a Voice: Fostering Indigenous Composers.”

During “Arizona Encore,” hear about the project which pairs high school students with mentor Native composers such as Michael Begay and Pulitzer Prize winner Raven Chacon. The students subsequently compose music, often for the first time. The initiative has continued since 2001 when Begay was a student participant himself. Professional ensembles such as the Catalyst Quartet travel to the students’ schools and demonstrate the music back to them to promote greater artistic understanding. The finished works appear on this concert at the Grand Canyon Festival, and more will be on the next program.

While often very brief, the students’ works bring their own lives and experiences to bear, and we will hear some of their explanations for their titles and ideas.

Learn more about NACAP on the Grand Canyon Music Festival website.