Ehnes Quartet | Ensemble

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 Richard O’Neill, and cellist Edward Arron.

Formally established in 2010, the members of the Ehnes Quartet have played chamber music together in various formations for more than 20 years. 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. Their debut recordings of quartets by Barber and Shostakovich were released in 2014 by Onyx Classics to critical acclaim.

Known for his virtuosity and probing musicianship, violinist James Ehnes has performed in 37 countries on five continents, appearing regularly in the world’s great concert halls and with the most celebrated orchestras and conductors. His recordings have been honored with many international awards and prizes, including a Grammy, a Gramophone, and 11 Juno Awards. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, an Honorary Member of the Royal Academy of Music, and a member of the Order of Canada. He plays the “Marsick” Stradivarius of 1715.

Recognized as a deeply expressive artist with an affinity for chamber music, violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti has a musical career of broad versatility. 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. A dedicated teacher, she holds the Caroline Paul King Chair in Strings. In addition to her recordings and performances internationally, she curates the Fabian Concert Series in Macon, Georgia. Through the generous efforts of the Stradivari Society, she plays the 1744 G.B. Guadagnini known as the “Canadian.”

Richard O’Neill (viola) is the winner of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, a two-time Grammy Award nominee, a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Artistic Director of Ensemble DITTO. He has appeared with the London, Los Angeles, Seoul, and Euro-Asian Philharmonics; the KBS and Korean Symphony Orchestras; the Moscow and Württemberg Chamber Orchestras; and Alte Musik Köln. Mr. O’Neill won a 2013 International Emmy for his documentary “Hello?! Orchestra”, in which he led an orchestra of underprivileged children from multicultural backgrounds.

Cellist Edward Arron made his New York recital debut at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2000, and has since performed as a soloist with orchestra, recitalist and 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, MA, and of the Musical Masterworks series in Old Lyme, CT, and also directs concert series in Columbia, Beaufort and Charleston, SC. He serves on the faculty of University of Massachusetts Amherst, and performs on a cello made by Giovanni Grancino in 1700.