Quartet cooks up its own musical fusion

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

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Borromeo String Quartet Part of the Honolulu Chamber Music Series 8 p.m. Saturday (pre-show Q&A at 7 p.m.) Orvis Auditorium, University of Hawai'i-Manoa $24 adults, $15 students 956-6878, 956-8246, outreach.hawaii.edu Also, the quartet performs in: • Kahului — 5 p.m. Sunday, Maui Arts & Cultural Center's McCoy Theatre, $25 (half-price for children), (808) 242-7469 • Hilo — 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, UH-Hilo, $15, (808), 974-7310 • Waimea — 7 p.m. Wednesday, Kahilu Theatre, $20 and $10, (808) 885-6868

Thus, the Borromeo String Quartet, making its Hawai'i debut this weekend, is an international stew of talent and vision, specializing in classical string quartet repertoire, performed in the tradition of old with a new world style. Its global reach permeates its cosmopolitan U.S. roots.

Nicholas Kitchen, a violinist from Durham, N.C., is the lone American in the group, formed in 1989 by four musicians from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

"We were a group of summer students in Italy, more than 10 years ago, and we formed the quartet," said Kitchen, 35, in a phone interview earlier this week. "At that time, the second violinist was from Italy, and two Koreans were part of the group. I'm still the only American," he said.

The group now features Yeesun Kim, one of the founders, a cellist from South Korea; Mai Motobushi, a violist from Japan; and William Fedkenheuer, a violinist from Canada. Its repertoire is expected to include Mozart's Quartet ik. 421, Beethoven's "Hero" Quartet Op. 59, No. 3. and Bartok's Quartet No. 3

"Different members have joined at different times, but we're all exposed to classical music as well as other areas of fine art," said Kitchen. "I started young, at 12; by 16, I knew I wanted a career in music, but I had a mother who was a violinist and a father who was a pianist. With such a rich musical environment, I was lucky. I think starting young is healthy, since kids absorb information in a way you never absorb later in life, though it's not necessary to start young to be a professional musician."

Growing up, Kitchen said he was very athletic, playing baseball, football, soccer, and basketball, and even ice-skating. "I broke my wrist twice, and I was lucky to have parents that allowed me the chance to do different things as a kid," he said.

The quartet does between 90 and 100 concerts a year, scheduled between academic sessions at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where the musicians now are quartet-in-residency.

"What we always do before a trip is to teach hard before we leave and after we return," said Kitchen.

Unlike the other teachers who travel sparingly, Borromeo brings fresh-from-the-front experience to the table. "We can advise students, from a current standpoint, about what the realities are for performing, that becomes a valuable part of how we teach," he said.

While Kitchen has never performed here before, he has been a frequent Hawai'i visitor because of family gatherings.

"Yeesun and I are married (not to each other) and my family, from North Carolina, and hers, from Korea, have met (Hawai'i being a convenient mid-point destination) starting in 1994," said Kitchen. "So we've had very special times in Hawai'i. I also got my scuba diving certification on Maui on a previous visit, and I have to say, it was easier than launching a musical career."