MUSIC
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Audience Information
The Schwartz Center welcomes a volunteer usher corps of about 40 members each year. Visit schwartz.emory.edu/volunteer or call 404.727.6640 for ushering opportunities.
The Schwartz Center is committed to providing performances and facilities accessible to all. Please direct accommodation requests to the Schwartz Center Box Office at 404.727.5050, or by email at boxoffice@emory.edu.
The Schwartz Center wishes to gratefully acknowledge the generous ongoing support of Donna and Marvin Schwartz.
Cover Design: Lisa Baron | Cover Photo: Mark Teague | Photos Courtesy of the Artists
ECMSA
EMERSON SERIES
Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta
William Ransom, artistic director
Sonata Mulattica
Rita Dove, poet
Hannah White, violin
William Ransom, piano
Friday, January 17, 2025, 8:00 p.m.
Emerson Concert Hall
Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
Program
Readings from Sonata Mulattica Rita Dove
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, op. 47 Ludwig van Beethoven I. Adagio sostenuto—Presto (1770–1827)
Readings from Sonata Mulattica Rita Dove
Intermission
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, op. 47 Beethoven II. Andante con variazioni
Readings from Sonata Mulattica
Rita Dove
Violin Sonata No. 9 in A major, op. 47 Beethoven III. Presto
The Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta is supported by the Cherry L. Emerson Endowment, the Rebecca Katz-Doft Chamber Music Endowment, the Crescendo Fund, the Ethel Orentlicher Gershon Fund, the Yinzi Kong Viola Chair Fund, an anonymous gift for the John Lawless Family Series, a generous gift from Dr. John and Linda Cooke, and by music lovers like you!
Visit ECMSA online at chambermusicsociety.emory.edu
Performer Biographies
Rita Dove
Rita Dove was born in Akron, Ohio in 1952. A 1970 Presidential Scholar, she attended Miami University of Ohio, Universität Tübingen in Germany, and the University of Iowa, where she earned her creative writing MFA. In 1987, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her third collection of poetry, Thomas and Beulah, and from 1993 to 1995, she served as U.S. Poet Laureate at the Library of Congress. Dove is a recipient of the 2022 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.
Author of a novel, a book of short stories, essays, and numerous volumes of poetry, among them the National Book Award finalist and NAACP Image Award winner Collected Poems 1974–2004, she also edited The Best American Poetry 2000 and the Penguin Anthology of 20th-Century American Poetry (2011). Dove wrote poetry columns for the New York Times Magazine from 2018 to 2019 and the Washington Post from 2000 to 2002. Her drama The Darker Face of the Earth opened at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 1996 and the Kennedy Center in Washington in 1997, followed by its European premiere at the National Theatre in London in 1999. Her song cycle Seven for Luck, with music by John Williams, was premiered by Cynthia Haymon with the Boston Symphony in 1998, and her song sequence A Standing Witness, 14 poems with music by Richard Danielpour, was sung by Susan Graham with the Copland House musicians at the Kennedy Center, the Tanglewood Music Festival, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, and other venues in 2021 and 2022. W.W. Norton published Dove’s latest volume of poems, Playlist for the Apocalypse, called “a vital collection of poems about history and mortality” by the New York Times while naming it a Top Book of 2021.
Dove’s numerous honors include Lifetime Achievement Medals from the Library of Virginia and the Fulbright Association, the 2014 Carole Weinstein Poetry Prize, the 2019 Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets, and the 2021 Gold Medal for Poetry from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the sixteenth (and third female and first African American) poet in the Medal’s 110-year history. In 1996, she received the National Humanities Medal from President Bill Clinton
and in 2011, the National Medal of Arts from President Barack Obama—the only poet ever to receive both medals. To date, 29 honorary doctorates have been conferred upon Dove, most recently by Yale University, Emory University, Smith College, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Iowa. She has served as president of the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP), as a chancellor of Phi Beta Kappa, and as a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets. A member of the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, she teaches at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, where she is the Henry Hoyns Professor of Creative Writing.
Hannah White
Described by New York Concert Review as “phenomenal,” award-winning Black female violinist Hannah White is an authentic and relatable voice in today’s changing landscape of classical music.
White soloed with the Milwaukee Symphony at age nine and has been featured on stage across four continents ever since. She has soloed with orchestras including the Cleveland Symphony, Dallas Symphony, New World Symphony, Albany Symphony, Syracuse Symphony, Ann Arbor Symphony, Hudson Valley Philharmonic, South Bend Symphony, Symphoria Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Madison Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Sphinx Symphony, and Orchestra Noir, among many others.
At Carnegie Hall, White has been featured as a soloist twice and as a duo earning standing ovations and rave reviews at all three soldout concerts. She soloed on four national and international tours with Sphinx Virtuosi, was concertmaster of two international tours with Chineke, and concertmaster and co-artistic director of three tours with Kontrapunktus Baroque. She performed for world leaders at World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and soloed at the League of American Orchestras National Conference, Music Teachers National Association National Conference, Dame Myra Hess recital series, Moscow Ballet, and Wolf Trap. White is featured on Rachel Barton Pine’s Music by Black Composers album. She has collaborated with Thodos Dance Chicago, Fulcrum Point, Torq Percussion Quartet, principal members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dance Center Evanston, Schaumburg Ice Skaters, Chicago Children’s Choir, and Pentatonix’s Kevin Olusola, among others.
White has performed with top pop artists including Rhihanna, Billie Eilish, John Legend, Steve Lacey, Busta Rhymes, H.E.R., Earth Wind and Fire, Bell Biv Devoe, Billy Porter, Coco Jones, Lucky Daye, and Chaka Khan, among many others. She has performed at the Oscars, BET Awards, ESPY Awards, Oscars Academy Museum Gala, and has worked with producers for movie soundtracks, music videos, albums, and animes.
White has been invited to perform in prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Severance Hall, Wigmore Hall in London, England, Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh, Scotland, Kennedy Center, Trinity College in Cambridge, England, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dolby Theater, Ordway Center, Harris Theater, Ravinia, New World Center, Disneyland, Hill Auditorium, Hollywood Bowl, Morris Theater, Greek Theater, Meyerson Center, Orchestra Hall, St. John’s Smith Square in London, England, Wolf Trap, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, Zipper Hall, Aspen Music Camp, Dalton Center, Folly Theater, Gallery of Art Museum, Rackham Auditorium, Rockefeller University, University of Austin, among many more.
Media appearances include: CNN, BBC, Today Show International in Davos, Switzerland, ABC, Amazon Live, Twitch, BET, CNBC International, Chicago’s WFMT, NPR’s From the Top, WCLV, WVIZ, Ideastream, Classical MPR, MPTV’s Black Nouveau, WPT, DPTV, Al Jazeera, Spark Media’s mini documentary series, Strad Magazine, Strings Magazine, Bein and Fushi Magazine, The Violin Channel, and numerous newspapers throughout the United States.
White is recipient of the prestigious Isaac Stern Award at Carnegie Hall, Ambassador of Doublestop Foundation, Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, Musicians Club of Women of Chicago Scholarship, MPower Grant, Puth Foundation, William Warfield Scholarship, and Music Institute of Chicago Fellow Laureate.
White believes in giving back to her community through imparting her world class training to children of all social and economic statuses. She boasts of her participation in residencies at Columbia University, Penn State, University of Houston, and San Jose State University. She has taught at various high schools and given master classes throughout the United States. She is currently teaching at Colburn School’s Jumpstart, Stories and Strings, and USC/Colburn Programs. She is also on faculty at Santa Monica Conservatory of Music and Montebello Royal Academy. As cultural ambassador, White has performed at over 100 outreach events.
White graduated from the Colburn Conservatory studying with renowned teacher Robert Lipsett and is continuing her graduate studies with him at Colburn. Her violin is on generous loan from Rachel Barton Pine Foundation.
William Ransom
Pianist, artistic director, master teacher, editor, and judge for international competitions, William Ransom appears around the world as soloist with orchestras, recitalist, and chamber musician. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and Television in the United States, Argentina, Poland, and Japan. He regularly collaborates with musicians including Yo-Yo Ma, Richard Stoltzman, William Preucil, Stephen Isserlis, Robert McDuffie, and members of the Tokyo, Cleveland, Juilliard, American, St. Petersburg, Borromeo, Dover, Parker, Ariel, Viano, and Lark string quartets, the Empire Brass Quintet, Eroica Trio, and the percussion group Nexus, among others. As a master teacher, he also performs and gives master classes at numerous schools of music and universities around the world. He has recorded for ACA Digital and Rising Star Records.
Ransom is the Mary Emerson Professor of Music at Emory University and founder and artistic director of the Emory Chamber Music Society of Atlanta. A graduate of the Juilliard School and the University of Michigan, in the summers, Ransom is artistic director of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival in North Carolina and for a decade was an artistfaculty member at the Kamisaibara Pianists Camp in Japan. In 2016 he was named artistic director of the Juneau Jazz & Classics Festival and also one of Musical America Worldwide’s “30 Musical Innovators.” Recently, he was named artistic director of the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.
Music at Emory
The Department of Music at Emory University provides an exciting and innovative environment for developing knowledge and skills as a performer, composer, and scholar. Led by a faculty of more than 60 nationally and internationally recognized artists and researchers, our undergraduate and graduate students experience a rich diversity of performance and academic opportunities. Undergraduate students in our department earn a BA in music with a specialization in performance, composition, or research, many of whom simultaneously earn a second degree in another department. True to the spirit of Emory, a liberal arts college in the heart of a research university, our faculty and ensembles also welcome the participation of non-major students from across the Emory campus.
Become a part of Music at Emory by giving to the Friends of Music. Your gift provides crucial support to all of our activities. To learn more, visit our website at music.emory.edu or call 404.727.6280.
The Donna and Marvin Schwartz Center for Performing Arts is a place where teaching, learning, and performance merge to create a vital arts presence for our community.
Upcoming Emory Music Concerts
Visit schwartz.emory.edu to view complete event information. If a ticket is required for attendance, prices are indicated in the listings below in the following order: Full price/Emory student price (unless otherwise noted).
Friday, January 24, 8:00 p.m., Emmanuel Pahud, flute and Alessio Bax, piano, Candler Concert Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, $45/$10
Friday, January 31, noon, Chee-Yun, violin, ECMSA: Cooke Noontime Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free, registration required
Sunday, February 2, 4:00 p.m., Elena Cholakova, piano, Miroslav Hristov, violin, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, February 7 and Saturday, February 8, 8:00 p.m., CompFest 2025, Performing Arts Studio
Sunday, February 9, 4:00 p.m., Bach Bowl, ECMSA: Emerson Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, February 14, 8:00 p.m., Emory Jazz Fest 2025, Schwartz Artist in Residence David Sánchez, saxophone, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, $30/$10
Saturday, February 15, 8:00 p.m., Emory Jazz Fest 2025, Emory Big Band, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free, tickets required
Friday, February 21, 7:00 p.m., Pajama Concert | Musical Stories, ECMSA: Family Series, Carlos Museum, Ackerman Hall
Wednesday, February 26, 8:00 p.m., Emory Youth Symphony Orchestra and University Chorus, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, February 28, noon, Jessica Tong, violin, ECMSA: Cooke Noontime Series, Carlos Museum, Ackerman Hall, free, registration required
Friday, February 28, 8:00 p.m., Daniel Hope with Polish Chamber Orchestra, Candler Concert Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, $65/$10
Saturday, March 1, 4:00 p.m., Penelope Williams, jazz, Artist Affliliate Recital, Performing Arts Studio
Sunday, March 2, 7:00 p.m., Emory Wind Studies Concert, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Thursday, March 6, 8:00 p.m., Emory University Symphony Orchestra, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, March 14 and Saturday, March 15, 8:00 p.m., Pathways, Atlanta Master Chorale, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, $42/$10 (all students)
Wednesday, March 19, 6:00 p.m. and Thursday, March 20, 2:30 p.m., Vocal Symposium, Performing Arts Studio
Thursday, March 20, 8:00 p.m., Emory Department of Music: An Evening with Music of Philip Glass, Performing Arts Studio
Friday, March 21, 8:00 p.m., New York Voices, Candler Concert Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, $40/$10
Saturday, March 22, 8:00 p.m., The Old and the New, ECMSA: Emerson Series Waits Chamber Music Concert, Cannon Chapel
Sunday, March 23, 4:00 p.m., Just Jazzin’ Around with the Gary Motley Trio, ECMSA: Family Series, Carlos Museum, Ackerman Hall
Tuesday, March 25, 8:00 p.m., Emory Jazz Combos, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, March 28, noon, The Rites of Spring, ECMSA: Cooke Noontime Series, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Friday, March 28, 8:00 p.m., Caroline Owen, piano, Artist Affiliate Recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Sunday, March 30, 4:00 p.m., Emory Concerto and Aria Competition, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall
Thursday, April 3, 6:30 p.m., Jazz on the Green, Patterson Green
Sunday, April 6, 7:00 p.m., Emory Collaborative Piano, Performing Arts Studio
Music at Emory brings together students, faculty, and world-class artists to create an exciting and innovative season of performances, lectures, workshops, and master classes. With more than 150 events each year across multiple Emory venues, audiences experience a wide variety of musical offerings.
We hope you enjoy sampling an assortment of work from our student ensembles, community youth ensembles, artists in residence, professional faculty, up-and-coming prodigies, and virtuosos from around the world.
music.emory.edu
