The Longwood University Chamber Music Series will present a concert by the world-renowned Turtle Island String Quartet, Tuesday, Feb. 5. Free and open to the public, the concert will take place in the Molnar Recital Hall of Wygal Music Building at 7:30 p.m., doors will open at 7 p.m.

Since its inception in 1985, the Turtle Island Quartet has been a singular force in the creation of new trends in chamber music for strings. Winner of the 2006 and 2008 Grammy Awards for Best Classical Crossover, Turtle Island fuses the classical quartet aesthetic with contemporary American musical styles.

A unique element of Turtle Island is their revival of venerable improvisational and compositional chamber traditions that have not been explored by string players for nearly 200 years.

The performance at Longwood University will include Turtle Island’s interpretation and reworking of the monumental music of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane (1926-1967). Entitled “A Love Supreme,” the program includes music from Coltrane’s widely influential album of the same title from 1965. In 2007, the quartet released its initial interpretation on a Telarc CD, A Love Supreme: The Legacy of John Coltrane.

The members of the Turtle Island String are: David Balakrishnan, violin (and founder); Gabriel Terraciano, violin; Benjamin von Gutzeit, viola; and Malcolm Parson, cello.

The Longwood University Chamber Music Series, now in its 32nd season, presents four concerts each year. For more information about this concert, or to become a Series Patron call the Longwood University Department of Music at (434) 395-2495 or (434) 395-2504.