Doublestop Magazine

Quinton Morris and the Young Eight

Today’s Seattle Times featured a profile of violinist Quinton Morris. Morris, 30, is a busy guy:

The young violinist and founding director of the all-African-American chamber group the Young Eight, Morris is three months away from finishing his doctorate at the University of Texas-Austin while he directs Seattle University’s instrumental music division, runs the chamber music program, teaches violin students, devises the curriculum for a new bachelor of music program for string students, tours and performs with the Young Eight — and performs a Mozart violin concerto in several free community concerts this month with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra.

If you haven’t checked out the Young Eight, you’re missing something good. First of all, you don’t see many octets out there (their website claims they are the “only established string octet touring in the United States”). But, it is hard to not comment on race here. Clearly, the thing that really stands out is that this a group of African-Americans playing in what is, frankly, the pretty white world of classical music. Their goal is to “expos[e] various communities to the arts through classical music.” Or, as Morris says in the Times article:

I never saw an African American playing with an orchestra as a child. Now, to work as a mentor with these talented young players and show them what is possible, right in their hometown — that’s really rewarding.

Want more info? The Young Eight website has a number of good tracks to listen to. I recommend both the documentary video(s) and the The Young Eight Anthem.