String Theory to Present “Magical Schubert”
String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will continue its 13th season on Tuesday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m., with Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (CMS) on Tour: “Magical Schubert.” The concert will highlight two of Franz Schubert’s most significant chamber music works.
“During his short 31 years of life, Schubert gave the world an astonishing wealth of compositions,” said Dr. Gloria Chien, String Theory artistic director. “We are celebrating his magical genius in this program, which was barely recognized during his lifetime.”
This concert will include pianist Alessio Bax, violinist Benjamin Beilman, cellist David Requiro, and pianist Chien. They will perform Franz Schubert’s Fantasie for Piano Four Hands and Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major.
Schubert’s piano duet, composed during the final months of his life, is often considered one of his most important works and has been described as “tragically beautiful.” His piano trio is a lighthearted, large-scale work also composed in the last year of his life.
Making his Chattanooga debut, Bax is known for his lyricism, insight, and technique. He is well known by stages and orchestras around the world as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist. A consistent international summer festival performer, Bax frequents the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and the Bravo! Vail Music Festival and is the artistic director of Tuscany’s Incontri in Terra di Siena festival. Bax has released 11 Signum Classics albums and has completed several international tours including ones in Spain, Asia, and the United States. He has studied in Italy, France, at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, and at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts. He is part of the piano faculty at Boston’s New England Conservatory.
Beilman, also making his Chattanooga debut, is known for his confident technique, rich tone, and passion. He performs at major stages and festivals across the world with orchestras such as London Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and San Francisco Symphony. Beilman has a recording contract with Warner Classics, where he released his disc “Spectrum.” He studied at the Music Institute of Chicago, the Curtis Institute of Music, and the Kronberg Academy.
Requiro has captured audiences’ attentions as one of today’s finest American cellists. Along with performing extensively in California, Requiro has performed with acclaimed symphony orchestras around the world, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and Tokyo Philharmonic. Requiro is active in contemporary music and is a founding member of Baumer String Quartet and the Boulder Cello Festival. He was also appointed to the Bowers Program by the CMS. He serves as assistant professor at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Chien is the co-artistic director of Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, Oregon, as well as the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont, along with her husband, violinist Soovin Kim. For the last decade, Chien was the director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo. She frequently appears with the CMS and is a Steinway Artist. She also serves as an artist-in-residence at Lee University.
Chien and Kim also recently received the Chamber Music Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music from the CMS for their dedication to bringing chamber music to people via digital concerts throughout the pandemic.
At 5:30 p.m., prior to the concert, Art Connections will take place, giving String Theory attendees the opportunity to visit the Hunter galleries and hear former Hunter Chief Curator Ellen Simak and Maestro Robert Bernhardt discuss works from the Hunter collection that relate to the music featured in the concert.
Tickets are on sale now through March 1 and are $45 for general admission, $35 for Hunter members, $10 for students and music teachers, and $25 for groups of 20 or more.
String Theory was founded in 2009 by Chien to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical music scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers.
String Theory at the Hunter is dedicated to the health and safety of its members, guests, and the surrounding community. To mitigate the spread of COVID-19, all attendees aged five and over must show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result from within 24 hours of the concert. Masks are also required for all.
The String Theory season will continue in April featuring “Mozart and Brahms” with violinists Arnaud Sussmann and Chad Hoopes, violists Matthew Lipman and Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu, cellists Nick Canellakis and Colin Carr, and Chien.
To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit String Theory or call (423) 414-2525.
