The seventh season of String Theory at the Hunter will launch tonight, Oct. 29, with a trio of award-winning musicians. The performance by violinist Soovin Kim, cellist Paul Watkins and pianist Gloria Chien is the first of six world-class concerts this season.
String Theory was founded in 2009 by Chien, who serves as its artistic director. Each year, the series brings acclaimed chamber musicians from around the world to perform in the intimate setting of the Hunter Museum of American Art.
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 age 20, going on to win other distinguished awards and release nine commercial recordings.
Watkins, acclaimed for his “inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship,” was appointed principal cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra at age 20. He performs regularly with all the major British orchestras and recently appeared at Carnegie Hall and with the Hong Kong Philharmonic.
Chien, 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 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.
STILL TO COME
‘ The second concert of the series, on Dec. 17, will feature pianist Anne-Marie McDermott in an all-Haydn recital.
‘ Pianist Elizabeth Schumann will perform on Jan. 14. She will be joined by Chien as they present pieces by Schubert and Stravinsky. In a new feature of String Theory, Schumann’s visit will be extended while she and sister Sonya perform in 11 area schools. The Schumann Piano Duo will then present a Family Concert, titled “Pianimal,” at the Hunter on Jan. 16.
‘ On Feb. 25, String Theory will welcome the CMS of Lincoln Center on Tour, consisting of violinist Kristin Lee, violinist Sean Lee, cellist Mihai Marica, violist Richard O’Neill and pianist Chien. The musicians will perform the following evening, Feb. 26, at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn.
‘ On March 24, violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky and cellist Colin Carr will join Chien to present a sonata and piano trio by Ravel.
‘ String Theory’s finale concert, on May 19, will present the Emerson String Quartet, consisting of violinist Eugene Drucker, violinist Philip Setzer, violist Lawrence Dutton and cellist Watkins.
MEET THE ARTISTS
String Theory will continue its Musical Dialogues and Art Connections before each concert this season.
Musical Dialogues, scheduled in October, December and March, take place from the concert stage and feature in-depth conversations with the artists on their lives, inspirations and the masterpieces to be performed.
Art Connections, happening in January, February and May, are brief tours through the Hunter galleries to hear former chief curator Ellen Simak and maestro Robert Bernhardt discuss works from the museum collection that relate to the evening’s musical selections.