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Lee University and String Theory at the Hunter will host a three-night ChamberFest in honor of Lee’s Presidential Concert Series’ 25th anniversary season. There will be three separate programs with clarinetist Ricardo Morales, the Miró String Quartet, and pianist Gloria Chien on March 13-15.

The String Theory performance will take place on Tuesday, March 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga and will feature Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante and Clarinet Quintet.

Founded in 2009 by Artistic Director Chien, String Theory brings acclaimed chamber musicians from around the world to perform in the intimate setting of the Hunter Museum in Chattanooga.

Prior to the concert, “Art Connection” will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Hunter Museum gallery. Former Hunter Museum Chief Curator Ellen Simak and Maestro Robert Bernhardt, conductor emeritus of the Chattanooga Symphony, will explore works from the Hunter Museum collection that relate to the music featured in the performance.

Morales is the principal clarinetist of The Philadelphia Orchestra. Prior to this, he was principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and has performed as guest principal clarinet with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic and at the invitation of Sir Simon Rattle, performed as guest principal clarinet with the Berlin Philharmonic. He has also participated as principal clarinet of the Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra in Matsumoto, Japan.

Morales has been a featured soloist with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the Seoul Philharmonic, the Flemish Radio Symphony, and the Puerto Rico Symphony, among others. An active chamber musician, Morales has performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, on NBC’s The Today Show, and with the Chamber Music Society (CMS) of Lincoln Center. He is highly sought after for his recitals and masterclasses, which have taken him throughout North America and Europe. In addition, he currently serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School, Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music.

The Miró Quartet is one of the world’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain-Dealer for their “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For the past 20 years they have performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, Texas, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while honoring the longstanding tradition of chamber music.

Highlights of recent seasons include a highly anticipated and sold-out return to Carnegie Hall to perform Beethoven’s Opus 59 quartets, a performance at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center as part of the CMS of Lincoln Center’s inaugural residency, and the world premiere of a new concerto for string quartet and orchestra by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. The Miró also gave performances of the complete Beethoven Cycle at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.

Chien began playing piano at the age of five in her native Taiwan. She has been called “a coat-of-many-colors pianist” and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts, a Master of Music, and a Bachelor’s of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music. She is a Steinway artist and currently serves as an artist-in-residence at Lee.

Chien has presented solo recitals at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Musical Association, Sanibel Musical Festival, Caramoor Musical Festival, Salle Cortot in Paris, and the National Concert Hall in Taiwan. She is a prize winner of the World Piano Competition, Harvard Musical Association Award, and the San Antonio International Piano Competition. Chien has been a member of the CMS of Lincoln Center since 2012, and now frequently plays at Alice Tully Hall in New York as well as other venues around the country with CMS on Tour.

Tickets for Tuesday’s concert are $30 for Hunter members, $40 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 for Tuesday’s event, call (423) 414-2525 or visit String Theory.

For more information about ChamberFest’s Lee University performances, contact Kristi Vanoy at (423) 614-8243 or [email protected].