Ehnes Quartet
String Theory will continue its 2019-20 season with the internationally-renowned Ehnes Quartet on Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga.
String Theory was founded in 2009 by pianist and Artistic Director Gloria Chien with the mission of exposing new audiences to chamber music, invigorating the local classical music scene, and cultivating a future generation of music lovers.
The concert, sponsored by The Read House, will feature Beethoven’s String Quartet in F and B-flat.
“In honor of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary, we will get a rare glimpse of the composer’s creative journey,” said Dr. Chien. “It will show his journey from the early classicist to a full-fledged master pushing all boundaries of the string quartet art form.”
Prior to the concert, Art Connection 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 museum collection that relate to the music featured in the evening’s concert.
Hailed as “an important new force in the chamber music arena” with a “dream-team line-up” (Strings), the Ehnes Quartet comprises Edward Arron, cello; James Ehnes, violin; Amy Schwarts Moretti, violin; and Richard O’Neill, viola.
Cellist Edward Arron made his New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2000 and has since performed as a soloist with orchestra, recitalist, and chamber musicians throughout Asia, Europe, and North America. He is the artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Ma., and of Musical Masterworks in Old Lyme, Ct. He also directs concert series in Beaufort, Charleston, and Columbia, S.C. He serves on the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and performs on a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1700.
Known for his virtuosity and probing musicianship, violinist James Ehnes has performed in 37 countries on five continents, appearing regularly in the world’s great concert halls and with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors. His recordings have been honored with many international awards and prizes, including a Grammy, a Gramophone, and 11 Juno Awards. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music, and a member of the Order of Canada. He plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.
Violinist Amy Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility. Former Concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra and Oregon Symphony, she is the director of the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University. She also curates the Fabian Concert Series in Macon, Ga. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society, she plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini.
Mr. O’Neill is the winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a two-time Grammy Award nominee, a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and artistic director of Ensemble Ditto. He has appeared with the Euro-Asia, London, Los Angeles, and Seoul philharmonics; the KBS and Korean Symphony orchestras; the Moscow and Württemberg chamber orchestras; and Alte Musik Köln. O’Neill won a 2013 International Emmy for his documentary “Hello?! Orchestra,” in which he led an orchestra of underprivileged children from multicultural backgrounds.
Individual concert tickets 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 or to purchase tickets, call 414-2525 or visit http://stringtheorymusic.org.