The Nicollet Quartet

Kenneth Freed / Violin

Kenneth Freed joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1998 after nearly five years as a member of the Manhattan String Quartet. Since coming to Minneapolis, Freed has been music director of the Kenwood Symphony Orchestra. His interest in children's music education has led him to found a non-profit company, Learning Through Music Consulting Group, which seeks to put music at the center of all children’s education.

Previous to 1998, Freed performed with the New York Philharmonic as a substitute in the viola section. From 1992 through 1994 he was principal violist of the Richmond Symphony. Freed also served as conductor of the Norwalk (Connecticut) Youth Symphony for two years and was assistant conductor of the Greater Richmond Youth Symphony.

Freed holds degrees in literature and music from Yale University. He and his wife, Gwen, have three children: Zachary, Nellie, and Jonah.

Freed was recently appointed a Minnesota Orchestra assistant conductor for the 2005-06 season.

Angela Fuller / Violin

A 1998 winner of the WAMSO Young Artists Competition, Angela Fuller joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 1999. The Seattle native holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota where she was a student of Sally O’Reilly. As a graduate student at the Cleveland Institute of Music, she studied under William Preucil. Fuller won first prize at the Irving M. Klein International String Competition in June 2000. She has performed at the music festivals of Tanglewood, Aspen, Chautauqua (NY), and San Diego’s Mainly Mozart Festival.

Thomas Turner / Viola

Thomas Turner joined the Minnesota Orchestra as principal viola in 1994. After graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Joseph DePasquale, he began his career in Germany. From 1981 to 1983 he served as principal viola with the Varga Chamber Orchestra and the Hof Symphony. In 1983 Turner won the principal viola position with the Berlin Radio Symphony, staying with that orchestra until 1994, when he returned to the United States to take up his present position. Turner holds the Minnesota Orchestra Reine H. Myers Chair.

Since moving to Minnesota, Turner has appeared as featured soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra on several occasions. In 1998 he performed the American premiere, with Concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis, of the Britten Double Concerto, which they performed again on subscription concerts in March 2001. In 2000, he was viola soloist in the Michael Tippett Concerto for String Trio and Orchestra. Turner and the Minnesota Orchestra performed the Bartók Viola Concerto with three different conductors in spring 2003. In early February, they presented the last movement of the Concerto on Adventures in Music for Families Concerts and Young People’s Concerts conducted by Assistant Conductor Scott Terrell. Guest conductor Jahja Ling led the work in Orchestra Hall during subscription concerts on February 19, 21, and 22. During the April 21-25 tour, of Minnesota under Associate Conductor Giancarlo Guerrero they performed the Concerto in Monticello, Moorhead, Perham, Bemidji, and Grand Rapids. In April of 2005 Turner gave the Wolfgang Rihm’s Concerto for Viola and Clarinet its world premiere with the Minnesota Orchestra and Principal Clarinet Burt Hara. He also performs frequently in chamber music concerts of the Minnesota Orchestra and appears regularly with the Hill House Chamber Players.

In past summers Turner has taught and performed at the Round Top Festival in Texas, and at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in western Michigan. This summer he will be a participant in the Oregon Bach Festival.

Thomas Turner is the winner of a 2004-2005 McKnight Artist Fellowship for Performing Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.

Arek Tesarczyk / Cello

A native of Poland, Arek Tesarczyk was born into a family of musicians. Before graduating with honors from theA native of Poland, Arek Tesarczyk was born into a family of musicians. Before graduating with honors from the Karol Szymanowski School of Music in Katowice, he distinguished himself by winning three first prizes in the Polish National Cello and Chamber Music Competitions. He continued his studies in the United States with Stephen Kates at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, as the recipient of the Gregor Piatigorsky Memorial Scholarship. While there, he completed two Artist Diplomas: One in cello performance, the other in chamber music as a member of the Peabody String Quartet. Before coming to the Twin Cities, he served as Principal Cello of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for eleven years. Tesarczyk joined the Minnesota Orchestra in September 2004.

Tesarczyk has been a soloist with a number of orchestras, including the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, the Silesian Chamber Orchestra, Orchesta Sinfónica de Chile and Concert Artists of Baltimore.

Active as a chamber musician, Tesarczyk has performed in festivals in Europe and the United States. He has appeared at the Kennedy Center and the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C. and Merkin Hall in New York. Other performances have taken him to Finland, Switzerland, Germany, England, Scotland and Russia. Together with his wife, pianist Claudia Chen, Arek has given duo recitals in the United States, Canada, Chile and Poland. His performances have been frequently aired on CBC (Canada) as well as Polish Radio and Television.