String Theory At The Hunter To Present Season Finale On May 1

String Theory, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will conclude its ninth season with violinists Itamar Zorman and Bella Hristova, violists Richard O’Neill and Yura Lee, and cellists Dmitri Atapine and Mihai Marica. The concert will take place on Tuesday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the museum. 

String Theory was founded by pianist and Artistic Director Gloria Chien in 2009 to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical music scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers.  

The May performance will feature Glazunov’s String Quintet, Op. 39 and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70. 

Review for the performers: 

Mr. Zorman, a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, has appeared with the American Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, the Tokyo Symphony, the Jerusalem Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Haifa Symphony, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. As a recitalist, he performed at Carnegie Hall's Distinctive Debut series, the Louvre Museum, People's Symphony concerts, Suntory Hall, and on Frankfurt Radio. He has also taken part in festivals such as Marlboro, Rheingau, and Verbier. 

He is a founding member of the Israeli Chamber Project and a member of the Lysander Piano Trio, with which he won the 2012 Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prize in the 2011 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, and First Prize in the 2011 Arriaga Competition. 

Acclaimed for her passionate, powerful performances, beautiful sound, and compelling command of her instrument, Ms. Hristova has been praised by The Washington Post as “a player of impressive power and control.” She frequently performs with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Westchester Philharmonic, and the Pennsylvania Sinfonia, in addition to participating in educational outreach activities. 

Ms. Hristova is the recipient of numerous prizes and awards, including a 2013 Avery Fisher Career Grant, First Prize in the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and First Prize in the 2007 Michael Hill International Violin Competition in New Zealand. 

Mr. O’Neill is an Emmy Award winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and an Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient. He has appeared with the London, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Euro-Asian philharmonics; the BBC, KBS, and Korean symphonies; and the Moscow, Vienna, and Württemburg chamber orchestras. 

As a Universal/DG recording artist, Mr. O’Neill has made eight solo albums which have sold more than 200,000 copies. His chamber music initiative, DITTO, has introduced tens of thousands to chamber music in South Korea and Japan. 

Ms. Lee, also a recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant, has appeared as a soloist with many major orchestras including the Baltimore Symphony, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Detroit Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Philharmonic. 

She has been praised for “her musical integrity and her compelling artistry.” Lee was nominated and represented by Carnegie Hall for its ECHO (European Concert Hall Organization) series. For this series, she gave recitals at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and at nine celebrated concert halls in Europe. 

Mr. Atapine, described by Gramophone as a cellist “with brilliant technical chops,” has appeared as a soloist and recitalist at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Chicago Cultural Center, the National Auditorium of Spain, and Zankel and Weill halls at Carnegie Hall. His festival appearances include Cactus Pear Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Nevada Chamber Music Festival, and Pacific Music Festival, with performances broadcast on radio and television in more than five countries. 

Mr. Atapine’s multiple awards include top prizes at the Carlos Prieto International, the Florian Ocampo, and the Llanes cello competitions, as well as the Plowman, New England, and the Premio Vittorio Gui chamber competitions. He currently serves as the artistic director of the Ribadesella Chamber Music Festival in Spain. 

Mr. Marica is a First Prize winner of the Dr. Luis Sigall International Competition in Viña del Mar, Chile, and the Irving M. Klein International Competition. He is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Fellowship Grant. 

Mr. Marica has performed with orchestras such as the Hermitage State Orchestra of St. Petersburg in Russia, the Jardins Musicaux Festival Orchestra in Switzerland, the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, and the Xalapa Symphony in Mexico. He also appeared in recital performances in Austria, Canada, Chile, Germany, Holland, Hungary, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and throughout the United States. 

Prior to the concert, “Musical Dialogues” will take place at 6 p.m. from the concert stage. Dr. Chien will lead an in-depth conversation with the musicians on their lives, inspirations, and the masterpieces being performed. 

Tickets for the May 1 concert, which is sponsored by Barnett and Company, are $35 for Hunter members, $45 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.