String Theory At The Hunter To Begin Seventh Season

String Theory at the Hunter has announced its seventh season, featuring six concerts, beginning in October. 

String Theory, founded in 2009 by pianist and Artistic Director Gloria Chien, brings acclaimed chamber musicians from around the world to perform in the intimate setting of the Hunter Museum. 

Review for the performers:

String Theory will welcome violinist Soovin Kim, cellist Paul Watkins and Dr. Chien as the first performers of the series on Oct. 29. 

Mr. Kim, the founder and artistic director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, regularly performs as a concert soloist, recitalist, and with the Johannes String Quartet. He received first prize at the Paganini International Competition at the age of 20, going on to win other distinguished awards and release nine commercial recordings. 

Mr. Watkins, acclaimed for his “inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship,” was appointed principal cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at the age of 20. He performs regularly with all the major British orchestras, and recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and with the Hong Kong Philharmonic. 

Dr. Chien, who currently serves as an artist-in-residence at Lee University, is a prize winner of the World Piano Competition and the San Antonio International Piano Competition. She was appointed the director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival and institute in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2012, and now frequently plays at Alice Tully Hall in New York, as well as other venues around the country with CMS on Tour. 

The second concert of the series will feature pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform an all-Haydn recital on Dec. 17. 

Hailed as “one of the great American pianists of her generation,” Ms. McDermott performs over 100 concerts a year in a combination of solo recitals, concerti, and chamber music. She is artistic director of the Vail Valley Music Festival, the Ocean Reef Chamber Music Festival, and the Avila Chamber Music Celebration. She is a member of the CMS and tours with them each season. 

Pianist Elizabeth Schumann, first prize winner of the Bösendorfer International Piano Competition and Pacific International Piano Competition, will perform in January 2016. She will be joined by Dr. Chien as they present pieces by Schubert and Stravinsky. 

Ms. Schumann has won over 25 prizes and awards in national and international competitions, including first place in the Bosendorfer International Piano Competition and the Pacific International Piano Competition. She is the founder of Piano Theatre, an artist group formed to engage audiences with innovative combinations of classical music, theatre, literature, art and technology. 

A new feature of String Theory will be added to Ms. Schumann's visit. During the week, Ms. Schumann will be joined by her sister Sonya at eight Chattanooga area schools and three Cleveland elementary schools for a unique presentation called “PIANIMAL.” The Schumanns’ visit will culminate with a Family Concert at the Hunter on Saturday on Jan. 16.

String Theory will welcome the CMS of Lincoln Center on Tour on Feb. 25, consisting of violinist Kristin Lee, violinist Sean Lee, cellist Mihai Marica, violist Richard O’Neill, and Chien. CMS is the largest chamber music organization in the world.

Kristin Lee has performed concertos with orchestras throughout the United States and abroad, performing recitals at Ravinia’s Rising Stars Series, the Salon de Virtuosi at Steinway Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre in Paris, the Kumho Art Gallery in Korea, and throughout northern Italy. 

Sean Lee’s debut album featuring the Strauss Violin Sonata reached the top of 20 of the iTunes “Top Classical Albums” list. His performances have been described by the New York Times as “breathtakingly beautiful,” and he has received prizes in the Premio Paganini International Violin Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. 

Mr. Marica is a first prize winner of the “Dr. Luis Sigall” International Competition in Chile and the Irving M. Klein International Competition, and is a recipient of Charlotte White’s Salon de Virtuosi Fellowship Grant. A member of the award-winning Amphion String Quartet, Mr. Marica has appeared at the Chamber Music Northwest, Norfolk and Aspen music festivals. 

Mr. O’Neill is an Emmy award winner, two-time Grammy nominee, and Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient. He has recently performed at the Louvre, with Gidon Kremer, with Kremerata Baltica and the Hiroshima Symphony, and at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games, and serves as Goodwill Ambassador for the Korean Red Cross, the Special Olympics and UNICEF. 

Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and cellist Colin Carr will join Dr. Chien to present the penultimate String Theory concert of the season on March 24, featuring a sonata and piano trio by Ravel. 

Mr. Sitkovetsky made his concerto debut at the age of eight, going on to perform with the Netherlands Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St. Martin’s in the Fields, and the BBC Concert Orchestra, among others. 

Mr. Carr, who first began playing cello at the age of five, has served as a professor at the Royal Academy of Music and on the faculty of the New England Conservatory, St. John’s College of Oxford, and Stony Brook University. He regularly appears throughout the world as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, and teacher, playing with major orchestras worldwide.

The String Theory finale concert, held on May 19, will present the Emerson String Quartet. Consisting of violinist Eugene Drucker, violinist Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton, and Watkins, the Quartet has been named Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” in addition to winning nine Grammys, three Gramophone Awards, and the Avery Fisher Prize. 

Formed in 1976 and based in New York City, the Emerson String Quartet was one of the first quartets formed with two violinists alternating in the first chair position. The Quartet took its name from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson and is Quartet-in-Residence at Stony Brook University.  In January of 2015, the Quartet received the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award, Chamber Music America’s highest honor, in recognition of its significant and lasting contribution to the chamber music field. 

In addition to music, this season’s String Theory series also offers Art Connections and Musical Dialogues. Art Connections gives String Theory attendees the opportunity to visit the Hunter Museum galleries at 5:30 p.m. prior to the concerts to hear former Hunter Museum Chief Curator Ellen Simak and Maestro Robert Bernhardt discussing works from the Hunter collection that relate to the music featured in the evening's concert. Art Connections is scheduled for the January, February, and May concerts. 

Musical Dialogues, scheduled for the October, December, and March concerts, take place at 6 p.m. from the concert stage and features in-depth conversations with the artists on their lives, inspirations, and the masterpieces being performed at the concert. 

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. Season subscriptions are available for $160 for Hunter members and $210 for non-members. 

For more information on String Theory at the Hunter or to purchase tickets, call 267-0968 or visit www.stringtheorymusic.org.