Continuing a deeply successful six-year collaboration inspired by ceremonies dedicated to the Sun, ETHEL and Robert Mirabal, Native American musician, instrument builder and three time GRAMMY® Award winner present their next evolution of the cross-cultural concert experience. The inspiration this time is Water as the embodiment of Spirit, and its essential role in Life on Earth. The audience is 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. To complement the music created by ETHEL and Mirabal exclusively for this program, ETHEL will also perform part of Gabriela Lena Frank’s epic Andean Walkabout and Phil Kline’s gorgeous The River.

“Indefatigable and eclectic” (The New York Times), “vital and brilliant” (The New Yorker), at the heart of ETHEL is a collaborative ethos—a quest for a common creative expression forged in the celebration of community.

A Native American “Renaissance man”—musician, composer, painter, master craftsman, poet, actor, screenwriter, horseman and farmer—Mirabal travels extensively throughout the world, offering “exquisitely nuanced flute playing” (The New York Times) and creating music that honors the spirits of the earth.

The Borealis Wind Quintet, like the Spectacular Aurora Borealis, displays a brilliant array of sparkling color and magic in the music they perform. Nominated for a Grammy in 2006, they are without question the major wind quintet of our time. Their warm yet commanding stage presence, combined with great music, always captivates the audience. Engaging and delightful, the Borealis brings a fresh sound and an exciting program to each performance. They are recognized for their fundamental contributions to the wind quintet literature with their many commissions, recordings, and editions of rare and traditional music.