Why Urthema? How do I contact you? How do I go about reserving your services for an event? What kinds of events do you play for? Do you perform outdoors? How much do you charge? Where are you located? How long have you been together? There's a song I'd really like played, but it's not on your repertoire list.  Can you still play it? What if I'd like you to play a song that isn't written for string quartet? Do you ever collaborate with vocalists or any other soloists? Do you ever give public recitals? Are there any other ways that I can hear you play? Q: Why Urthema? A: The urthema is a "primal theme" that is a feature in the introduction of all of Anton Bruckner's symphonies.  We really have no deep brilliant connection to the word "urthema," it just seemed a shame that no "Urthema String Quartet" existed, and we decided that needed to change. Q:  How do I contact you? A:  You can contact us by email at contact@urthema.com or by calling our cellist, Greg Nelson, at (612) 205-4752. Q:  How do I go about reserving your services for an event? A:  We have a contract which you can download here.  Greg Nelson would be happy to meet with you to go over the details of the contract and the specific needs for your event. Q:  What kinds of events do you play for? A:  We're happy to play for just about anything!  Weddings are of course a traditional home for string quartets, but we'll also play at banquets, parties, receptions--anything that you think needs a string quartet. Q:  Do you perform outdoors? A:  We love playing outdoors when the weather is right.  We have to be careful since string instruments tend to be finicky in cool dry weather.  Generally, we'll perform as long as it's not raining, it's not too cool, and we have a bit of shade to play in. Q:  How much do you charge? A:  We charge $500 for events lasting less than 2 hours, plus $200 for each additional hour.  We also ask that we be compensated for gas. Q:  Where are you located? A:  We call the Twin Cites home, but we're willing to play within a two hour radius of the metro area as long as we're compensated for the cost of gas.  Q:  How long have you been together? A:  We formed as a quartet in the spring of 2006.  We were/are all students at St. Olaf College, and played together as members of the St. Olaf Orchestra.  We've each played in numerous chamber ensembles throughout high school and college as well.  Q:  There's a song I'd really like played, but it's not on your repertoire list.  Can you still play it? A:  Just because something isn't on our repertoire list doesn't mean we can't play it.  There is a vast quantity of music written for string quartet that we have access to--especially wedding music.  If there is a specific piece you would like us to play, email us at contact@urthema.com. Q:  What if I'd like you to play a song that isn't written for string quartet? A:  We can create a string quartet arrangement for most any song so long as you can provide us with sheet music (such as an arrangement for piano) or a recording.  We charge $40 to write a quartet arrangement from a piece of sheet music (sheetmusicplus.com is an excellent website to find sheet music).  If you're unable to obtain sheet music, we can transcribe it from a recording for a fee of $80. Q:  Do you ever collaborate with vocalists or any other soloists? A:  We are happy to collaborate with other performers.  Pieces for a vocal soloist and string quartet can be a nice alternative to songs with a traditional piano accompaniment.  We can also arrange songs in this fashion for our standard fee. Q:  Do you ever give public recitals? A:  We occasionally give recitals including informal outdoor performances around Minneapolis in the summer. Q:  Are there any other ways that I can hear you play? A:  Yes!  We have several sound clips on our repertoire page as well as a video of us on youtube!