Purple Orange (FKA Jelloslave) is a new music trio featuring Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney on cellos and Greg Schutte on drums. Multi-instrumentalist John Croarkin and guitarist Pavel Jany will perform the first set of the evening.

Students and musicians are welcome to email info@berlinmpls.com to request a code for $12 tickets!

The diversity of its players’ influences fuels the Purple Orange sound, which draws from the European classical tradition reflected in the cellos, the Hindustani classical rhythms of the tabla, and a continuum of international drumming styles. Underlying the ensemble’s vision is a commitment to the evolving roles and sonic possibilities of our relatively ancient and culturally specific instruments. Our signature instrumentation and influences provide the context and color with which we create our original compositions and interpret the works of others. Purple Orange has released two self-produced full-length recordings—Touch It (2003) and Purple Orange (2010)—and the ensemble has performed at all of the major Twin Cities venues and festivals since forming in 2003.

Jacqueline Ultan and Michelle Kinney have received numerous grants and awards, including McKnight Fellowships in the Performing Artist and Composer categories, respectively, and Metro Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund grants. In 2013, Jelloslave (now Purple Orange) received a Minnesota State Arts Board Arts Tour MN Grant, which sparked an enthusiastically received 12-venue statewide tour. Kinney and Ultan are in demand as a duo and individuals among some of the world’s foremost artists in new and creative music. They are known for their contributions to the work of Mary Ellen Childs, Henry Threadgill, Anthony Cox, Butch Morris, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Merchant, Dan Wilson, Ondara, Soul Asylum, Nirmala Rajasekar, Gao Hong, the New Standards, Aby Wolf, and the Jayhawks. They also are frequent collaborators with theater and dance companies, having performed with Kevin Kling, Michael Sommers, Stuart Pimsler Dance Theater, Ananya Dance Theater, Laurie Van Wieren, Carl Flink’s BLM, and many others.

Drummer Greg Schutte has recorded, performed, and toured nationally and internationally with many artists, including the Mickey Hart band, B.B. King, Ryan Bingham, and Chastity Brown. He owns, records at, and produces at the Bathtub Shrine Recording Studio in Northeast Minneapolis.

John Croarkin is a multi-instrumentalist who plays bass flute, flute, piano, sax, and harmonica. He is a past winner of the National Flute Association's Jazz Flute Master Class and Jazz Flute Big Band Competitions and is a 2018 MN Artist Initiative grant recipient. John's playing has been featured on over 40 CDs and many soundtracks.

The diversity and eclecticism of Pavel Jany's guitar playing and composing have no boundaries. His classical guitar and compositional backgrounds were enriched by influences from the Eastern European music of his native Czechoslovakia; the works of jazz fusion guitarists Al Di Meola, Pat Metheny, Ralph Towner, and Biréli Lagrène; and many Brazilian guitar masters. His three-year stay in West Africa and his travels to Brazil and other South American countries deepened his interest in Afro-Brazilian and Latin music. Jany has founded several international jazz projects on the Twin Cities’ music scene, including the Brazilian jazz ensemble Ticket To Brasil, the instrumental trio Talking Strings, and the modern jazz group Global Jazz Collegium. He is a co-founder of Duo CORDA and he performs and records with other local and international artists.