Avi Avital
String Theory at the Hunter will welcome Avi Avital, mandolin, and the Dover String Quartet making their Chattanooga debut on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hunter Museum of American Art.
Founded in 2009 by pianist and Artistic Director Gloria Chien, String Theory brings acclaimed chamber musicians from around the world to perform in the intimate setting of the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga. Dr. Chien is a Steinway artist and an artist-in-residence at Lee University.
The performances for the evening will include works by Bach, Smetana, and D. Bruce.
Prior to the concert, “Art Connections” will take place at 5:30 p.m. Former Hunter Museum chief curator Ellen Simak and maestro Robert Bernhardt, conductor emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony and artist-in-residence at Lee University, will explore works from the Hunter Museum collection that relate to the music featured in the evening’s concert.
Review for the performers:
Mr. Avital, southern Israel native and first ever Grammy nominated mandolinist, is acknowledged by the New York Times for his “exquisitely sensitive playing” and “stunning agility.” He is internationally recognized for his performances at venues such as Carnegie Hall (Weill Hall), Lincoln Center, Berlin Philharmonie, and Wigmore Hall.
Mr. Avital has won many competitions and awards including Germany’s ECHO Prize for his 2008 recording with the David Orlowsky Trio and the AVIV 2007 Competition, the preeminent national competition for Israeli soloists. He has appeared as a soloist with the Oxford Philomusica, Metropolis Ensemble NY, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, among others.
The Dover String Quartet, comprising Bryan Lee and Joel Link, violin, Camden Shaw, cello, and Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt, viola, rose to international stardom following an exceptional sweep of the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, becoming one of the most in-demand ensembles in the world.
Mr. Lee has performed as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Delaware, Lansdowne, and Temple University Symphony Orchestras, among others. He was awarded the Bronze Medal at the 2005 Stulberg International String Competition and won second prize at the 2004 Kingsville International Young Performers Competition.
Mr. Link is a top prize winner of numerous competitions including the Johansen International Competition in Washington D.C. and the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in England. As a result of his prize at the Menuhin Competition, Mr. Link was featured in The Strad magazine and has also appeared on several radio shows, including NPR’s “From the Top.”
Mr. Shaw has been described as “wonderfully rich” by Kansas City Star and “dynamic and brave” by Stereo Times. In addition to maintaining an active career as a soloist, Mr. Shaw has collaborated in chamber music with renowned artists such as Daniel Hope, Leon Fleischer, and Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.
Ms. Pajaro-Van de Stadt is the founding violist of the Dover Quartet and is praised by The Strad as having “lyricism that stood out…a silky tone and beautiful, supple lines.” In addition to appearances as a soloist with the Tokyo Philharmonic, the Jacksonville Symphony, and the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, she has performed in recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the United States, Latin America, and Europe.
Individual concert tickets are $30 for Hunter members, $40 for non-members, $10 for students with a valid student ID, and $25 for groups of 20 or more people.
For more information on String Theory at the Hunter Museum of American Art or to purchase tickets, call 414-2525 or visit www.stringtheorymusic.org.
Dover String Quartet