String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University, will begin its 17th concert season this month, featuring six concerts with 21 of the world’s most skilled and sought-after musicians. The performances will take place at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga.   
  
“Season Seventeen is a celebration of world-class artistry and a reminder of the enduring friendships that make this series so deeply treasured,” said Dr. Gloria Chien, String Theory founder and artistic director. “We hope everyone will join us for this extraordinary season of world-class chamber music!”
 
The season will open with a concert on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The performance will feature the return of the Chien-Kim-Watkins Trio, with pianist Chien, violinist Soovin Kim, and cellist Paul Watkins. This trio first appeared at String Theory 10 years ago and brings both personal history and musical affinity to a program that explores love, loss, and the Romantic spirit through the performance of Saint-Saëns’ Orpheus and Dvořák’s Piano Trio.  
  
Chien, named one of the superior pianists of the year “who appears to excel in everything” (Boston Globe), has had a 22-year relationship with Lee University, where she is currently an artist-in-residence. In recent seasons she has performed as a recitalist and chamber musician at Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, the Phillips Collection, the Kissinger Sommer festival, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. Chien is a Steinway Artist and earned her Doctor of Musical Arts, her master’s, and bachelor’s degrees at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.  
  
Kim enjoys a broad musical career as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, presenter, and educator. His international concert career was launched after winning first prize at the Paganini International Competition when he was 20 years old. He subsequently was the recipient of such distinguished prizes as the Henryk Szeryng Career Award, the Avery Fisher Grant, and the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. He dedicates much of his time to his passion for teaching and has served on the faculties of Stony Brook University and the Peabody Institute and now teaches exclusively at the New England Conservatory in Boston.  
  
Together, Chien and Kim serve as the co-artistic director of Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon, as well as the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont.   
  
Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Watkins enjoys a distinguished career as a concerto soloist, chamber musician, and conductor. He performs regularly as a concerto soloist with major orchestras throughout the world, including eight concerto appearances at the BBC Proms. A dedicated chamber musician, Watkins has been a member of the Nash Ensemble and the Emerson String Quartet, and in 2014, he was appointed artistic director of the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival.    
  
Watkins also maintains a busy career as a conductor, and since winning the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, has conducted all the major British orchestras and many others in the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan.  
  
The series will continue November 25 with flutist Tara Helen O’Connor and guitarist Jason Vieaux, as they perform a dialogue that covers 18th-century France through Buenos Aires. The program will feature Leclair’s Sonata, Schocker’s Mysterious Barcodes, Ravel’s Pièce en Forme de Habaner, and the Argentinean music of José Luis Merlin and Astor Piazzolla.   
     
The first concert of 2026 will take place on Jan. 20 with Anthony McGill, clarinetist, and Chien. They will reunite to perform Brahms’ Clarinet Sonatas, exploring the intense dialogue between the two instruments in music that spans from songful to symphonic.  
  
The SPA Trio, made up of soprano Susanna Phillips, violist Paul Neubauer, and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, will bring fresh vibrancy to salon songs on Feb. 3, 2026. Performing together since 2011, these artists have embraced the charm and nostalgia of 19th- and 20th-century parlor songs, continuing a storied tradition once favored by singers of the past.  
  
On March 10, 2026, String Theory will welcome violinist Sasha Sitkovetsky, violist Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, cellist Gary Hoffman, and Chien. Their program will feature the works of Brahms and Bloch and offer two compelling visions of introspection and cultural identity in this richly expressive program.   
  
The season will conclude on April 14, 2026, with a celebration of strings, featuring violinists Benjamin Beilman, Erin Keefe, Alexi Kenney, Arnaud Sussmann, violists Misha Amory, Nicholas Cords, and cellists Nina Lee and Edward Arron. These eight artists will perform Shostakovich’s Two Pieces for String Octet, Dvořák’s Terzetto, and Mendelssohn’s Octet.  
  
All concerts will begin at 6:30 p.m. Prior to the September and April performances, String Theory will host a conversation with Chien and the evening’s featured artists, where they will share insights and stories about the program. The performances in November, January, February, and March will begin with “Pregame with Bob,” a discussion with Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Director Emeritus Bob Bernhardt. These pre-concert events will take place at 5:45 p.m.   
  
Tickets are available now. Individual concert tickets are $54 for non-members, $42 for Hunter members, and $10 for students and music teachers with ID. Individual tickets can be purchased up until the day of the concert. Season subscriptions are $300 for non-members, $240 for Hunter members, and $60 for students and music teachers.   
  
To purchase tickets, or for more information, please visit String Theory, contact [email protected], or call (423) 414-2525.