Posted on Jan 27, 2009

Emerson String Quartet

Four phenomenal musicians. Eight Grammy awards. Three decades of acclaimed music-making. Twenty-five performances at Union.

The famed Emerson String Quartet returns to campus Sunday, Feb. 1, giving its 26th Chamber Concert Series performance at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. The program includes Dvorak’s “Cypresses” and Haydn’s Op. 74, No. 1 in C, No. 2 in F, and No. 3 in G minor.

Formed in 1976, the group consists of violinists and co-founding members Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer; violist Lawrence Dutton, who joined a year later; and cellist David Finckel, a member since 1979. The four have achieved unparalleled recognition for their performing, touring and recordings.

Named after American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson, the group is lauded as a string quartet that approaches both classical and contemporary repertoire with equal mastery and enthusiasm. It was the first chamber ensemble to win the coveted Avery Fisher Prize from Lincoln Center in 2004, and in addition to its many Grammys, has garnered three Gramophone awards.

The group’s current season includes more than 80 engagements around the world, from Boston and San Francisco to Italy and Denmark.

The concert is free for the Union College community, $25 for general admission and $10 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information on the Series, call (518) 372-3651 or click here