MACON – Hailed as “an important new force in the chamber music arena” with a “dream-team line-up” by Strings magazine, the Ehnes Quartet consists of James Ehnes, violin; Amy Schwartz Moretti, violin; Richard O'Neill, viola; Edward Arron, cello. Fresh off a triumphant tour of South Korea and a new classical album release receiving stellar reviews, the Ehnes Quartet brings its power, poise and passion to Mercer University's Fickling Hall on Feb. 6.
The concert will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Neva Langley Fickling Hall in the McCorkle Music Building. Tickets are $15 per person, or free for Mercer faculty and staff or with any valid student ID. Tickets are available at the door, or to reserve seats by phone, call (478) 301-5470.
The Fabian Concert Series brings world-class artistry to Central Georgia.
Formally established in 2010, the members of the Ehnes Quartet have played chamber music together in various formations for more than 20 years. The quartet's highly refined, sensitive and expressive performances have delighted audiences and critics across North America, Europe and Asia, and have made them one of the most sought after chamber groups performing today.
The Ehnes Quartet's most recent recording of SCHUBERT Death and the Maiden SIBELIUS Intimate Voices was released last November. A reviewer from United Kingdom magazine Gramophone said, “I never would have thought of putting these two works together, but in this group's hands it has resulted in something wonderful.” The album is available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes.
Known for his virtuosity and probing musicianship, 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.
Recognized as a deeply expressive artist with an affinity for chamber music, Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility. Former concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra and Oregon Symphony, she has been director of the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer since its inception. A dedicated teacher, she holds the Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings. In addition to her recordings and performances internationally, she curates the Fabian Concert Series in Macon. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society, she plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini known as the “Canadian.”
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 London, Los Angeles, Seoul and Euro-Asian 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.
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 North America, Europe and Asia. He is the artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence Series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and of the Musical Masterworks series in Old Lyme, Connecticut, and also directs concert series in Columbia, Beaufort and Charleston, South Carolina. He serves on the faculty of University of Massachusetts Amherst, and performs on a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1700.
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America's most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season's concerts, visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
