String Theory at the Hunter, in partnership with Lee University and the Hunter Museum of American Art, will close out the season with the powerhouse trio of percussionists Ji Hye Jung, Ayano Kataoka, and Ian Rosenbaum. The concert, which takes place on Tuesday, March 25, at 6:30 p.m., will explore an array of musical pieces and stylings, showcasing the diversity of techniques from different musical traditions.

“We are excited to close out the season with a powerhouse trio of percussionists,” said Dr. Gloria Chien, founder and artistic director of String Theory. “These artists are at the top of their craft, and this concert promises to be one of the most memorable performances in String Theory’s fifteen-year history. We can’t wait for you to experience it!”

The performance will feature Alejandro Viñao’s Book of Grooves, Tōru Takemitsu’s Rain Tree, Alyssa Weinberg’s Table Talk, Thierry De Mey’s Musique de Tables, Steve Reich’s Nagoya Marimbas, and Iannis Xenakis’ Okho.

Praised by the Los Angeles Times as “a centered player who can give the impression of being very still yet at all places at once,” Jung began concertizing in her native South Korea at the age of nine, where she performed more than 100 concerts, including solo performances with every major orchestra in Korea. She now frequently performs with many of today’s most important conductors and instrumentalists and serves as principal percussionist with the west coast-based chamber music ensemble Camerata Pacifica.

An active educator and clinician, Jung has presented masterclasses at the Curtis Institute, the Peabody Conservatory, Rice University, Beijing’s Central Conservatory, and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music.

Kataoka, “whose movements, as she plays her instrument, approach a dance,” according to The Berkshire Review, is known for her brilliant and dynamic technique, as well as the elegance and artistry she brings to her performances. A native of Japan, she began her marimba studies at age five and percussion at 15, and she is drawn to compositions that involve the whole person, using standard percussion instruments and unique musical materials.

She has been a season artist of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program since 2006 when she was the first percussionist chosen, and she is currently a professor of percussion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received the 2023-24 Distinguished Faculty Lecture Series and Chancellor’s Medal.

Praised for his “spectacular performances” by the Wall Street Journal and his “unfailing virtuosity” by the Chicago Tribune, GRAMMY-nominated Rosenbaum has developed a musical breadth far beyond his years. As a passionate advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered dozens of new chamber and solo works and was nominated for three GRAMMY awards in 2021 for his performances on albums of music by Andy Akiho and Christopher Cerrone.

Rosenbaum joined the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program in 2012 as only the second percussionist they have selected in their history. He is a founding member of Sandbox Percussion, the Percussion Collective, and the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and is on faculty at the Peabody Institute, the Mannes School of Music, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

A pre-concert talk, “Pregame with Bob,” will take place at 5:45 p.m., where Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Music Director Emeritus Bob Bernhardt will provide an in-depth discussion of the evening’s program, including insights on the featured composers and works, along with interviews with the artists.

String Theory was founded in 2009 by Chien to expose new audiences to chamber music, invigorate the local classical scene, and cultivate a future generation of music lovers.

Tickets for the Tuesday evening performance are $54 for non-members, $42 for Hunter members, and $10 for students and music teachers with ID.  

To purchase tickets or for more information, please visit stringtheorymusic, contact [email protected], or call (423) 414-2525.