Chamber group to perform in Orono Ex-UM student a Zukerman Player

If you’re looking for a place to hone your skills in a string quartet, you could do worse than to spend time in Maine. That’s what Jethro Marks, a violist, said after spending two seasons with the Graduate String Quartet Program at the University of Maine. The program is now defunct, but Marks remembers it as an inspiration for his career.

“It was the perfect place to start up a string quartet because there wasn’t much else to do except rehearse,” said Marks. “There were very few distractions and plenty of time to practice and perform. And I loved that hall.”

That was Minsky Recital Hall in Orono, where Marks will play again with the Zukerman Chamber Players, at 8 p.m. Saturday May 6. And that’s Pinchas Zukerman, the Israeli violinist, educator and conductor. The program includes works by Mozart, Brahms and Kodaly.

“I met Pinchas in New York, and it was an immediate connection,” said Marks, who is 31. “You hear all these rumors that he is not pleasant, but he was extremely nice and hospitable. He realized I was an independent thinker but that I had an open mind that would take his teachings into consideration. We had respect going both ways. That’s so important for a teacher-student relationship.”

Marks, a native of Vancouver, Canada, now is associate principal viola player for the National Arts Centre Orchestra, which Zukerman directs in Ottawa. But Marks’ work in classical music goes back to when he was a boy. He began his music studies early on violin and then switched to viola for its rich dark sound. By his 20s, Marks was in the Zukerman Program at Manhattan School of Music. He was the only violist in the program.

With Zukerman’s tutelage, Marks began refashioning his technique.

“The right arm is your bank account – that was his approach,” said Marks. “It was unphilosophical but very focused.”

That focus has served Marks well in his work, whether in a small chamber group or a larger orchestra. It may also be a factor in Marks’ hobbies outside the studio and stage. A devoted renovator, who always wears gloves to protect his hands, he is working with his architect brother on reworking an old farmhouse near Ottawa.

“It has been an empowering experience, tearing down walls, putting shingles on,” said Marks. “My mother comes from a family of carpenters. So it’s in my blood as well. And I do think it’s like music: It’s a project you have to devote your energies to. There are lots of details and you want a nice end product.”

The Zukerman Chamber Players will perform 8 p.m. Saturday May 6 in Minsky Recital Hall at the University of Maine. For tickets, call the Maine Center for the Arts at 581-1755. Alicia Anstead can be reached at 990-8266 and aanstead@bangordailynews.net.