N O V E M B E R 1 9 , 2 0 2 3 - 7 : 3 0 P M
Recital Hall, FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre
250 St. Paul Street, St. Catharines, ON
“They meshed together like the old friends they are, themes passing seamlessly, unison writing blending perfectly as solo themes emerged, and the ebb and flow managed beautifully.”
- The Strad
One of the most sought-after violinists on the international stage, James Ehnes returns to Bravo Niagara! for a rare Canadian appearance with the internationally acclaimed Ehnes Quartet. His extensive discography of more than 60 releases has won many awards including 2 GRAMMY awards, 3 Gramophone awards, and 11 Junos. Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.
Hailed as “an important new force in the chamber music arena” with a “dream-team line-up” (Strings), the Ehnes Quartet is comprised of four internationally renowned string musicians: violinists James Ehnes and Amy Schwartz Moretti, violist Che-Yen Chen, and cellist Edward Arron. The quartet’s highly refined, sensitive and expressive performances have delighted audiences and critics across North America, Europe, and Asia, and have made them one of the most sought-after chamber groups performing today.
PROGRAM
Haydn String Quartet Op. 77, No. 1
Britten String Quartet No. 2, Op. 36
—Intermission —
Schumann String Quartet No. 1, Op. 41, No. 1
James Ehnes has established himself as one of the most celebrated violinists on the international stage. Recent concerto appearances include the New York Philharmonic, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Munich Philharmonic. His extensive discography of more than 60 releases has won many awards including 2 GRAMMY awards, 3 Gramophone awards, and 11 Junos. He is the Artistic Director of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the Royal Academy of Music, and a member of both the Order of Manitoba and the Order of Canada. Ehnes plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715. Visit Artist Website
Violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti is equally versatile as chamber musician, concertmaster, soloist, and educator. Former concertmaster of the Florida Orchestra and Oregon Symphony, she has been Director of the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University since its inception in 2007, where she holds the Caroline Paul King Chair and has developed and curates the Fabian Concert Series. She has premiered concertos for GRAMMY winner Matt Catingub and her Mercer colleague Christopher Schmitz and has served as guest concertmaster for such symphony orchestras as Atlanta, Houston, and Pittsburgh. She has recorded for Chandos, Harmonia Mundi, Onyx Classics, CBC Records, BCMF/Naxos and Sono Luminus.
Che-Yen Chen is the first prize winner of the 2003 Primrose Viola Competition. As the founding and former member of the Formosa Quartet, he won the first prize in the 2006 London International String Quartet Competition. A professor of music at UCLA's Herb Alpert School of Music, his previous positions include principal viola of the San Diego Symphony, Mainly Mozart Festival Orchestra, and professor of viola at USC's Thornton School of Music. He has given masterclasses and appeared as guest principal viola with various major orchestras across North America. As an avid chamber musician and educator, he frequently participates in major music festivals across North America and Asia.
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, cellist Edward Arron made his New York recital debut in 2000 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has since appeared in recital, as a soloist with major orchestras, and as a chamber musician throughout North America, Europe and Asia. He is the artistic director of the Performing Artists in Residence series at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts. In January of 2021, his recording of Beethoven’s Complete Works for Cello and Piano with pianist Jeewon Park was released on the Aeolian Classics label. A graduate of the Juilliard School, Mr. Arron has served on the faculty at University of Massachusetts Amherst since 2016.
