BLINN COLLEGE ARTIST IN RESIDENCE ADVANCE MUSIC EDUCATION AND APPRECIATION
“Have bow. Will travel.”
The Marian Anderson String Quartet says the phrase in jest, but the heart behind it is no laughing matter, as their passion for music has taken them on a 26-year journey from the streets of New York to music halls and universities in the Big Apple, Los Angeles and Houston, and nestled them in the heart of the Brazos Valley at Blinn College.
Marianne Henry, first violinist from New Orleans, Nicole Cherry, second violinist from the Washington, D.C. area, Diedra Lawrence, violinist from New York City and Prudence McDaniel, cellist from DeMoines, form the Marian Anderson String Quartet (MASQ), named for the great contralto, Marian Anderson.
“I met Diedra at the Manhattan School of Music in 1984,” said Henry. “She and I would play on the streets of New York to make money, but that got tiring so she came up with the brilliant idea of putting ourselves out there.”
Lawrence and Henry took professional photos, made tapes and business cards and began distributing publicity packets. Soon after, The Brooklyn Museum asked the pair to play a concert for Women’s History Month. The tape from that concert landed them a performance at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau in Paris, France.
Henry and Lawrence eventually crossed paths with longtime admirers Cherry and McDaniel, who joined the ensemble in the early 2000s after the original second violinist and cellist left to follow new careers.
The group began as quartet in residence at City College of New York from 1990-1995 and ensemble in residence at California State University-Los Angeles from 1995-1999. In 2001, they completed a graduate fellowship program at the acclaimed Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston. The quartet was the ensemble in residence at Prairie View A&M University from 2001-05 and at Texas A&M University from 2001-09.
In 1991, the Quartet won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition, becoming the first African American ensemble in history to win a classical music competition. The Quartet’s distinguished history includes performances through the Da Camera Society, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. MASQ performed in 1993 at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center as part of the 52nd presidential inauguration.
The Quartet recently wrapped up a tour at Brown University, where they directed sound design and performed in “String Theory,” a drama about the first civil rights case in America by award-winning playwright Ifa Bayeza.
“The more artists collaborate, the more they can offer their students,” Cherry said. “We enjoy touring not only to fuel ourselves, but to mold ourselves into better teachers. The more we can engage, the more we have to give in the classroom.”
While at Texas A&M University, the ensemble crossed paths with Dr. Marcelo Bussiki, who would soon transition to Blinn College as dean of Visual & Performing Arts.
“When we would pass by Blinn, we’d always wonder what was going on there musically. Now we know,” Cherry said. “Dr. Bussiki has been fabulous at helping us provide a well-rounded musical education to students. We are so happy for the opportunity to be here.”
As quartet in residence, Henry, Lawrence, Cherry and McDaniel teach music appreciation courses, provide lessons and play at events, including a February performance at the opening of Blinn’s Star of the Republic Museum exhibit, “Enduring Spirit: African Americans in 19th Century Texas.”
“Blinn is one of the most comfortable places we’ve been,” Cherry said. “The administration really appreciates the arts, and the students get invested in it, too. We feel like our work matters.”
“Teaching at Blinn is extraordinary,” Cherry said. “Classes are full of working parents, first-generation students, active military and students hoping to transfer to four-year colleges. I find the majority of my students are determined to bring a new level of their success to their lives. I have alumni who still email with music questions. It’s truly satisfying when that happens.”
For more information on the Marian Anderson String Quartet, visit: www.marianandersonstringquartet.com.
