String Theory at the Hunter continues its fourth season by blending the talents of artist David Shifrin and audience favorite, the Miro String Quartet, along with pianist Gloria Chien for a Jan. 17 concert at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga.

The program begins at 5:30 p.

m. with Art Connections in the Hunter galleries. Chief Curator Ellen Simak and Maestro Robert Bernhardt discuss works from the Hunter Museum collection that relate to the evening's featured music. The concert begins at 6:30 p.m. and features Brahms's beloved "Clarinet Quintet," along with Clara Schumann's "3 Romances for Violin & Piano" and Robert Schumann's "3 Romances for Clarinet & Piano."

String Theory at the Hunter is a chamber music series presented by Artistic Director Gloria Chien in partnership with the Hunter Museum of American Art and Lee University.

One of only two wind players to have been awarded the Avery Fisher Prize since the award’s inception in 1974, Shifrin is in constant demand as an orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber music collaborator. He has appeared with the Philadelphia and Minnesota Orchestras and the Dallas, Seattle, Houston, Milwaukee, Detroit and Denver symphonies, among many others in the US and abroad.

Shifrin has also served as principal clarinetist with the Cleveland Orchestra, American Symphony Orchestra, the Honolulu and Dallas symphonies, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony and has received critical acclaim as a recitalist, appearing at such venues as Alice Tully Hall, Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, as well as at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.

The Miró Quartet, one of America’s highest-profile chamber groups, was hailed by the New York Times as possessing “explosive vigor and technical finesse.” In its second decade, the quartet continues to captivate audiences and critics around the world with its startling intensity, fresh perspective, and mature approach.

In 2005, the Quartet received the Cleveland Quartet Award and was the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. Internationally, the Miró Quartet has been featured on radio networks across Europe, Canada and Israel. They have also been seen on ABC’s World News Tonight, A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts, and on various programs of the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

An internationally acclaimed pianist and associate professor of music at Lee, Gloria Chien has been picked by the Boston Globe as one of the Superior Pianists of the year, “… who appears to excel in everything.” In 2009, Chien was the founder and artistic director behind String Theory. Her recent CD with violinist Joanna Kurkowicz, featuring music of Grazyna Bacewicz was released on Chandos Records. The International Record Review writes, “[the violinist] could ask for no more sensitive or supportive a pianist than Gloria Chien.”

An avid chamber musician, Chien was chosen to join the roster of the Chamber Music Society Two of Lincoln Center from 2012. She has been the resident pianist with the Chameleon Arts Ensemble of Boston since 2000, a group known for its versatility and commitment to new music. Boston Herald praises her for “[playing] phenomenally.”

Tickets are still available by calling the Hunter at 267-0968. Individual concert tickets are: $25 for Hunter Museum members, String Theory donors; $10 for students with valid ID; Non-Member Price: $35. (A $5 fee is applied to all tickets sold at the door.)

Upcoming Concerts in the 2012-13 String Theory Season

Thursday, Feb. 14: Wu Han and David Finckel, along with Philip Setzer, violinist for the Emerson String Quartet, will perform Mendelssohn's Trio in D Minor as well as Dvorak's "Dumky" trio in the Feb. 14 concert.

Thursday, March 14: Shmuel Ashkenasi is hailed as a "genuine talent and profoundly gifted" violinst. As first violinist of the Vermeer Quartet, he received five Grammy nominations. Don't miss him in the March 14 concert.

Thursday, April 11: The season finale on April 11 will highlight 10 virtuoso musicians from The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the only full-time professional chamber orchestra in the U.S. This program will be tailored and curated by guest speaker, Patrick Castillo, Senior Director of Artistic Planning at The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.