Looking for alternative genres, he left the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra playing in an assortment of alternative ensembles until, while in Winnipeg, Summer met violinists Darol Anger and shortly after he was invited by David Balakrishnan and Darol to join Turtle Island, and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1985 to perform permanently with the band.
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Mark Summer is the Turtle Island Quartet's cellist; he is a founding member and has performed with Turtle Island (a.k.a. Turtle Island String Quartet) since its founding in 1985.
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:premiered September 2006 for the inauguration of the Schermerhorn Symphony Hall in Nashville by guitarist John Jorgenson, the Turtle Island Quartet and the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Paul Gambill.
The tune "Stolen Moments" has been covered by numerous musicians including Frank Zappa, Ahmad Jamal, Booker Ervin, the United Future Organization and the Turtle Island Quartet.