Album Notes

Tranquillo, A Northwest Celebration, is a collection of classical style vignettes arranged for string quartet which are familiar tunes, ones to return to time after time. These pieces are perfect to soothe out to, plan your wedding by, have dinner to, sip a glass of wine with friends, or for any time you wish to uplift your soul. The music heard here could be described as sublime relaxation.

We needed a name...something that would stand out, not limit us to classical-only, and maybe, somehow, invoke the sense of the fun and the creativity of the people we are. Aardvarks are slow-moving, yet powerful creatures. Aardvark is the Egyptian god of the desert; we live in the high desert steppes of central Washington which is quickly becoming known for its amazing regional wines.

String music is an integral part of American society and we strive to share our talent with the community through this CD and live performance. The music on this album is dedicated to generating peace, healing, calm and harmony. Tranquillo, the album title, is the Italian music term used to indicate calm, quiet, serene or peaceful.

Musicians featured on the cover of the album are, from left to right, Lisa Rushton-Smith, Lauren Rosencranz, Jaime Callahan and Bonny Buckley. Additional musicians recording on the album include Rebecca Stamm, Benjermin Leslie and Laurel Krueger.