MACON – Amy Schwartz Moretti, a member of the Ehnes Quartet and director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, a special institute within Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, is traveling to Seoul, South Korea, to perform all 17 of Beethoven's quartets over six concerts in 17 days. The group will leave the U.S. on June 17, and the first concert will take place June 25 at the IBK Chamber Hall in Seoul.
“Beethoven is one of the great classical music composers, if not the greatest there has ever been,” said Moretti. “To play all of his quartets, which are arguably the pinnacle of the quartet literature, in this short period of time will be a really meaningful experience for me and, I hope, for our audience there, as well.”
The Ehnes Quartet, formed in 2010, has been hailed as “an important new force in the chamber music arena” with a “dream-team lineup” (Strings Magazine). The quartet is composed of four internationally renowned string musicians: violinists James Ehnes and Moretti, violist Richard O'Neill and cellist Robert DeMaine.
Grammy award-winner Ehnes is one of the world's most acclaimed violin soloists and the artistic director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society. Fellow violinist Moretti is an active soloist and chamber musician, former concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra and Oregon Symphony and director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer. Violist O'Neill appears around the world as soloist and chamber musician, is a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and is artistic director of Ensemble Ditto. Cellist DeMaine sustains a versatile performing career as soloist, recitalist and chamber musician while also holding the position of principal cellist of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
Moretti, with the Ehnes Quartet, has played highly acclaimed recitals in some of the world's finest concert halls, including The Wigmore Hall in London and the Louvre in Paris.
The Ehnes Quartet will be returning to Mercer's Fabian Concert Series in February, where the group will also give a master class to Center students. Admission to the Fabian Series is $12 at the door; all Mercer students, faculty and staff with valid I.D. receive one free ticket. To reserve tickets, call (478) 301-5470.
About Townsend School of Music
Mercer University's Townsend School of Music, the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and the Townsend-McAfee Institute for Graduate Studies offer undergraduate and graduate professional music studies in a comprehensive university environment. Townsend is nationally recognized for its outstanding faculty, award-winning students, performance ensembles and state-of-the-art facilities. The McDuffie Center, a special institute within Townsend School of Music, is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Students study with some of America's most renowned string musicians, receiving music instruction of conservatory quality, while earning an academically well-rounded education from a comprehensive, nationally recognized university. For more information and a complete listing of this season's concerts, visit www.mercer.edu/music, or call (478) 301-2748.
