Michael Foster with Strings
featuring.....
Michael Foster: saxophones
Webb Crawford: guitar, tenor banjo, hurdy gurdy
Zosha Warpeha: hardanger fiddle
Jessica Pavone: viola
Rocio Sanchez: cello
Leila Bordreuil: cello
Anna Abondolo: bass
Nava Dunkelman: percussion
Lisa Cameron: drums / amplified percussion
Shelley Hirsch: voice

MF+Strings began as a joke between myself and cellist Leila Bordreuil back when we were in college together, however that cheeky in-joke became a fully realized project after nearly 20 years.
MF+Strings functions as both a tribute and critique of the soloist-with-strings tradition (a la Charlie Parker with Strings). Utilizing much of the repertoire of that tradition while proposing new additions to that canon, augmenting it with extensive improvisation while showcasing each member of the ensemble in solos and sub-groups throughout. This project aims to create an anarchic and non-hierarchical approach to this tradition, which historically centers on a soloist over the ensemble.
MF+Strings has performed at Roulette, New Music Circle, Pioneer Works, and more.