They have a shelf full of Grammy
Awards. Their records are international best sellers. Every year they play about
100 sold-out concerts at the world's most renowned halls. They are arguably the
biggest celebrities of classical music.
And on Sunday, they ate dinner with
students at Beuth House.
The Emerson String Quartet,
longtime favorites of the popular Union College Chamber Music Series, was on
campus Jan. 30 for the first of two concerts devoted to Mendelssohn's String
Quartets. Their next appearance is Sunday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. in Memorial
Chapel.
After their concert, they joined
students and faculty for a dinner that included lemon herb chicken, pasta prima
vera and conversation on topics ranging from music to GenEd to sports.
“The whole point of the Minervas
is to bring us together as a community,” said organizer Prof. Dianne McMullen,
who said she had to start a waiting list. “Having the members of the Emerson
String Quartet over for dinner was a great way to do that.”
Members of the quartet — Eugene Drucker
and Phillip Setzer, violins; David Finckel, cello; and Lawrence Dutton, viola –
have invited last week's diners to a rehearsal and informal reception before
the performance.