I bet you don’t, so in the next 90 seconds of your life, I’ll show you a group of musicians who are not afraid to step outside of the box – creative string players.

Next time you see a person carrying a string instrument case at Berklee, ask what music they play.  Believe it or not, rock, blues, latin, folk, R&B, country, blugrass, Irish, African, Middle Eastern, Indian and even jazz will be among their answers!  Despite the classical heritage of these instruments, they are able to perform a variety of musical styles at Berklee, without feeling taboo.

Ten faculty members guide the Berklee String Department’s 200+ violin, viola, violoncello, banjo, mandolin and harp players through their musical journeys in becoming artists without limitations- and I’m one of them!  My name is Jakub, and I express myself through the violin.  I’ve been around Berklee for two and half years and I have some exciting news to share with you:

During December 2009, the String Department held auditions for a new ensemble, featuring Berklee’s finest string players. The 18 piece Berklee Contemporary String Orchestra (including myself), conducted by cello player and composer Eugene Friesen, will showcase music without genre limitation. The focal performance of the orchestra will be in May 2010 in Washington D.C.  In upcoming blogs, I’ll not only provide unique insight into the musical journey of the group, but also of Berklee’s String Department.

I hope you learned something in the last 90 seconds and enjoyed it enough to come back for my upcoming blog, where I’ll post the complete list of the players in the ensemble (so you’ll know who to call for your next session, recital or jam)!

Jakub

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