String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will present an evening of chamber music featuring the SPA Trio at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga. Performing together as the SPA Trio since 2011, soprano Susanna Phillips, violist Paul Neubauer, and pianist Anne-Marie McDermott bring decades of individual and collaborative experience to the stage.
 
“These celebrated artists have embraced the charm and nostalgia of 19th- and 20th-century parlor songs, continuing a storied tradition once favored by some of the great singers of the past,” said Dr. Gloria Chien, founder and artistic director of String Theory. “Featuring an eclectic program of songs from composers such as Mendelssohn, Wagner, Schumann, Gershwin, and more, this is sure to be an incredibly special evening of music!”
 
The program opens with an arrangement of Felix Mendelssohn’s Infelice, followed by selections for viola and piano by Henri Casadesus and Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder, based on poems by Mathilde Wesendonck. The program continues with Robert Schumann’s Abegg Variations and concludes with songs by Amy Beach and George Gershwin.
 
Phillips is a recipient of The Metropolitan Opera’s 2010 Beverly Sills Artist Award. Known for her portrayal of Musetta in La Bohème, she has sung at the Met for 12 consecutive seasons. Her role highlights include Fiordiligi, which The New York Times called a “breakthrough night,” and Clémence in the Met premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s L’amour de Loin. She has appeared with numerous symphonies, orchestras and music societies, including the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert, as well as her native Huntsville Symphony, where she marked Alabama’s bicentennial with a performance of Strauss’s Vier Letzte Lieder.
 
Neubauer’s musicality and artistry prompted The New York Times to praise him as “a master musician.” He recently made his Chicago Symphony Orchestra subscription debut under Riccardo Muti and his Mariinsky Orchestra debut with Valery Gergiev. Appointed principal violist of the New York Philharmonic at age 21, Neubauer has since appeared as a soloist with more than 100 orchestras worldwide. A two-time Grammy nominee, he has recorded for numerous labels and serves as artistic director of the Mostly Music series in New Jersey. He is also on the faculty of The Juilliard School and Mannes College. 
 
McDermott performs more than 100 concerts each year, appearing in solo recitals, concerti and chamber music. Her repertoire spans Bach and Haydn to Prokofiev and Scriabin, as well as works by Kernis, Hartke, Tower and Wuorinen. In addition to performing, she serves as artistic director of the Bravo! Vail Music and Ocean Reef Music Festivals and as curator of chamber music for the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego. A longtime chamber musician, McDermott was named an artist member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in 1995 and performs and tours extensively with CMS each season. She is a winner of the Young Concert Artists auditions and a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant.
 
Prior to the concert, “Pregame with Bob” will take place at 5:45 p.m., in which Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Music Director Emeritus Bob Bernhardt will discuss the evening’s program, giving an in-depth look at the featured composers and works, including interviews with the artists.  
  
String Theory was founded in 2009 by Chien to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers.  
  
This concert is generously sponsored by Barnett and Company.
  
Tickets for the Tuesday evening performance are available until February 3 and are $54 for non-members, $42 for Hunter members, and $10 for students and music teachers with ID.  
  
To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit stringtheorymusic.org, contact [email protected], or call (423) 414-2525.