The Fry Street Quartet joins physicist to present creative, educational, multi-sensory message of sustainability
Anne Francis Bayless has not been back to Breckenridge since her summer as a National Repertory Orchestra fellow in 1998. Since then, she has become a core member of the internationally acclaimed Fry Street Quartet and joined the faculty at Utah State University.
The Fry Street Quartet, for which Francis has played cello since 2000, has toured the world and earned a bounty of awards, commissions and rave reviews, including for its Crossroads Project: Rising Tide, a multi-sensory performance co-created with physicist Dr. Robert Davies. Aimed at sending a powerful message supporting global sustainability, the performance features original paintings and photography as well as a moving piece by composer Laura Kaminsky, delivered amid educational commentary from Dr. Davies.
“Audience members always share that they are swept away by the beauty of the imagery as well as the power of the information as it is paired with music,” Francis says. “Ultimately, the message is a hopeful one – that we have the power to imagine and create the future that we all need and want.”
Growing up in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Francis earned her Bachelor’s degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Masters at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. Since childhood, she has studied and performed with many prestigious musical programs, festivals and ensembles. However, she believes it was her summer with the NRO that supplied her with the knowledge, skills and approach to life as a professional musician.
“The expectations at NRO were very high,” she says. “We were treated as professionals and expected to meet that privilege by acting as such. I learned so much about efficient preparation, how to work well with others – musically and personally – and I met some of the most wonderful and inspiring people. While my career ended up not being in the professional orchestra realm, these were all things that helped ready me to take advantage of opportunities when they presented themselves. I was much more prepared for my career because of the NRO.”
As far as highlights, Francis names the sheer performance volume during her NRO summer, recalling Strauss’s Alpine Symphony as a “transformative” standout.
“As an undergraduate, I performed with my conservatory orchestra regularly, but that usually only meant two or three times a semester. To be performing big masterworks every single week at NRO was incredible, and gave me real-world experience,” she says.
Although her focus as a musician has been the Fry Street Quartet, Francis believes her orchestra experience in Breckenridge served as a relevant springboard for this role and provided unforgettable teaching tools for life as a professor.
“A lot of the skills that I honed that summer were skills that prepared me for quartet life – things like being well-prepared for rehearsal, often without a lot of time; communicating well with and being respectful of my colleagues; listening well absolutely helped me prepare for a career in chamber music. Afterall, a really great orchestra is basically a giant chamber music group. And we worked with such great conductors. A terrific conductor is one who teaches beautifully, whether with words or through physicality, often both. As I began my teaching role at Utah State University, where the FSQ is in residence, there is no doubt that the many lessons I learned from those great conductors helped shape my teaching priorities.”
Curated by Breck Create as part of the 2024 Breckenridge International Festival of Arts (BIFA), Anne Francis Bayless performs with her Fry Street Quartet in Rising Tide: The Crossroads Project at 2 p.m. Aug. 25 at The Riverwalk Center in Breckenridge.
Breck Create representatives explain that this year’s festival “delves into the reciprocal relationship between humans and earth with thought-provoking exhibitions and immersive experiences” aimed at “addressing critical issues of our time.”
The Rising Tide event serves as a festival grand finale of sorts. Registration/seat reservation is free with a suggested donation of $20.