The American Debut of the Emerson String Quartet with Cellist, Paul Watkins

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lois Cohn Associates
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Presents
The American Debut of The Emerson String Quartet
With New Cellist, Paul Watkins
Sunday, July 21 at 4:30pm in the Venetian Theater

KATONAH, NY – On Sunday, July 21 at 4:30pm in the Venetian Theater, The Emerson String Quartet will make its American debut performance with its new cellist, Paul Watkins. Watkins, a much-lauded cellist, as well as Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra, replaces David Finckel. The distinguished soloist, award-winning conductor, and dedicated chamber musician joins the Quartet’s Eugene Drucker (violin), Philip Setzer (violin) and Lawrence Dutton (viola) for their 37th season. Mr. Watkins officially joined the group May 11, 2013 and will perform with his new colleagues extensively throughout North America, Europe, and Asia after the Caramoor debut. Hailed by The New York Times as a “superb ensemble: technically resourceful, musically insightful, cohesive, full of character and always interesting," this much-acclaimed group will perform two of Beethoven’s “middle period” quartets (opus 59, no.2 and no.3,) dedicated to Beethoven’s patron, Prince Razumovsky. From Benjamin Britten, the great and dramatic composer of operas, the Quartet will present one of his most personal statements - the intimate and serene Quartet No. 3.
TICKETS
Tickets: $15.00, $20.00, $30.00, $40.00. Children under 18 are half price.
To order tickets, call the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or visit www.caramoor.org.

PRESS CONTACT
For press tickets, images, artist information or interviews, contact Brittnee Walker at 412.601.2474 or bwalker@lcohnpr.com.
July 21 Emerson String Quartet
Sunday, 4:30pm ~ Venetian Theater
Tickets: $15.00, $20.00, $30.00, $40.00
Eugene Drucker (violin), Philip Setzer (violin), Lawrence Dutton (viola), Paul Watkins (cello)
Beethoven String Quartet No. 8 in e, Op. 59, No. 2 “Razumovsky”
Britten String Quartet No. 3, Op. 94
Beethoven String Quartet No. 9 in C, Op. 59, No. 3 "Razumovsky"
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
The Emerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet stands apart in the history of string quartets with an unparalleled list of achievements over three decades: more than thirty acclaimed recordings, nine Grammy’s® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, Musical America’s "Ensemble of the Year", and collaborations with many of the greatest artists of our time.

In what will be its first member change since 1979, the Emerson Quartet welcomed Paul Watkins as its cellist on May 11, 2013. Mr. Watkins, a distinguished soloist, award-winning conductor, and dedicated chamber musician, joins the ensemble for their 37th season, performing with his new colleagues extensively throughout North America Europe and Asia. The Emerson continues its series at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC for its 34th season. As an exclusive artist for Sony Classical, The Emerson has a new release slated for Spring, 2013 with future recordings planned to include Mr. Watkins.

Formed in 1976 and based in New York City, the Quartet took its name from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. The Emerson String Quartet is Quartet-in-Residence at Stony Brook University.

Paul Watkins
Paul Watkins enjoys a career as solo cellist, conductor and chamber musician. As soloist he has performed regularly with all the major British orchestras and made six appearances at the BBC Proms, most recently in a televised performance of the Elgar Cello Concerto at the First Night of the Proms recorded live by Deutsche Grammophon. Recent highlights have included his debut at Carnegie Hall performing Brahms’ Double Concerto with Daniel Hope, and concerto appearances with the Hong Kong Philharmonic and Philharmonia Orchestras. Winner of the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, Paul Watkins became the first ever Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra in 2009 and is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. A dedicated chamber musician, Paul Watkins has been a member of the Nash Ensemble since 1997. His first recording as a conductor (Britten and Berg Violin Concertos with Daniel Hope for Warner Classics) won a Schallplattenpreis in Germany and was nominated for a Grammy Award.

ABOUT CARAMOOR
“We built a home, my husband and I, not to be old or new, just to be beautiful. And we built it for music.” ~ Lucie Rosen

Caramoor, the country estate of Walter and Lucie Rosen, was where they built their home and filled it with treasures. Enjoying the pleasure their friends took in the beauty of Caramoor with its art collection, gardens, and musical programs, in 1946 the Rosens established a public trust to open Caramoor to the community. Their musical evenings were the inspiration for the Caramoor Summer Music Festival, now in its sixty-eighth year, and the ongoing Music in the Rosen House series.

Since its founding, Caramoor has gained international renown as a cultural institution, presenting music of all types and inspiring artists and audiences alike.

Caramoor enriches the lives of its audiences through intimate, innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality. Education is a valued component of Caramoor’s mission, and Caramoor offers programs for the mentoring of young professional musicians as well as curriculum-based programs for school children emphasizing music, history and visual and decorative arts. Caramoor is often described as “a Garden of Great Music,” where audiences are invited to explore the beautiful grounds and gardens, discover the fascinating collection of period rooms and antiquities in the Rosen House, and enjoy beautiful music in the Music Room, Spanish Courtyard and Venetian theater.
Concert Venues and Gardens
Summer concerts take place in two outdoor theaters: the 1,714-seat, acoustically superb Venetian Theater and the more intimate, romantic 558-seat Spanish Courtyard. In the fall and winter all concerts are presented in the magnificent Music Room in the Rosen House. Caramoor’s gardens, also used for concerts, are also well worth the
visit and include nine unique perennial gardens. Among them are a Sense Circle for the visually handicapped, the Sunken Garden, a Butterfly Garden, the Tapestry Hedge, and the Iris and Peony Garden.

GETTING TO CARAMOOR
By car from the West Side of Manhattan and New Jersey, take the Saw Mill River Parkway north to Katonah. Exit at Route 35/Cross River. Turn right and, at the first traffic light, make a right turn onto Route 22 south. Travel 1.9 miles to the junction of Girdle Ridge Road. Follow the signs to Caramoor. (For detailed directions call 914.232.5035 and press 2, or online at www.caramoor.org). Parking at Caramoor is free.

By train, take the Harlem Division of the Metro-North Railroad to Katonah, New York. Taxi service from the station to Caramoor (5 minutes away) is available.
CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR A FULL FESTIVAL CHRONOLOGY:
https://caramoor.org/pdf/Festival_Listings.pdf

CREDITS
Performances are made possible, in part, by
ArtsWestchester with funds from Westchester County Government.
Performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with
the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
The 2013 International Music Festival is supported in part by an
award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS IS LOCATED AT
149 GIRDLE RIDGE ROAD, KATONAH, NEW YORK 10536.
ALL PROGRAMS AND ARTISTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE