The Emerson String Quartet
L to R:
Eugene Drucker.
Lawrence Dutton,
David Finckel,
Philip Setzer,

Photo by Tom Specht


A founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, EUGENE DRUCKER has also established himself as a solo artist. He has performed as soloist with the orchestras of Antwerp, Liege, Brussels, Montreal, Omaha, Austin, Anchorage, Richmond and Hartford, as well as the New Orchestra of Westchester, the Juilliard School Orchestra and the American Symphony Orchestra. While earning a BA in English Literature at Columbia University, Mr. Drucker studied with Oscar Shumsky at the Juilliard School for his Artist Diploma. A prizewinner in the 1975 International Violin Competition in Montreal, Drucker won a Bronze Medal at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 1976. Later that year, he gave his new York debut as a Concert Artist Guild Winner. Eugene Drucker is a Visiting Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. He has recorded all of the unaccompanied violin works of J.S. Bach for Novello Records and the complete duos of Bartok and Fuchs for Biddulph records with Philip Setzer. Violin: Antonius Stradivarius (Cremona, 1686)


Violinist PHILIP SETZER was born in Cleveland, Ohio and began studying the violin at the age of five with his parents, both former members of the Cleveland Orchestra. He continued his studies with Josef Gingold and Rafael Druian and later at the Juilliard School with Oscar Shumsky. In 1967, Mr. Setzer won second prize at the Meriwether Post Competition in Washington, DC and in 1976, he received a Bronze Medal at the Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels. He has appeared as a guest soloist with the National symphony and, on several occasions, with the Cleveland Orchestra. Additionally, Mr. Setzer has participated in the Marlboro Music Festival and performed with the orchestras of Brussels, Belgium, Omaha, Anchorage, Richmond, Hartford and the New Orchestra of Westchester. A founding member of the Emerson String Quartet, he also teaches as Visiting Professor of Violin and Chamber Music at the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford. In April of 1989, Mr. Setzer premiered Paul Epstein's "Matinee Concerto" with the Hartt Wind Symphony. This piece, dedicated to and written for Mr. Setzer, has since been performed in Hartford, New York, Cleveland, Boston and at the Aspen Festival to favorable acclaim. Violin: Nicolas Lupot (Orleans, 1793)


LAWRENCE DUTTON began violin and viola studies with Margaret Pardee and continued with Francis Tursi at the Eastman School, eventually concentrating exclusively on viola. He went on to study with Lillian Fuchs at the Juilliard School, where he merited the Walter M. Naumburg Scholarship and earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees. In addition to performing with the Emerson String Quartet, Mr. Dutton has been a guest soloist in recent seasons with orchestras in New York, New Jersey, Alaska, Virginia, Connecticut, Nebraska, North and South Carolina and Colorado. He also is featured in regular appearances with the Santa Fe, Ravinia and Aspen Music Festivals. Mr. Dutton recorded the Shostakovich Piano Quintet, op. 57 and the Faure g minor Piano Quartet Op. 45, with the Beaux Arts Trio for the Philips label. He has made video recordings of Stravinsky and Hindemith for Bravo, the national arts cable network. Recordings of his work with mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani at the Aspen Music Festival have recently been released on the Bridge label. Lawrence Dutton is currently a Visiting Professor Viola and Chamber Music at the Hartt School of Music. Viola: P.G. Mantegazza (Milan, 1796)


A member of the Emerson String Quartet since 1979, cellist DAVID FINCKEL has also been a guest soloist in recent seasons with orchestras in New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, Alaska, Nebraska, Virginia, and Connecticut as well as at the Ravinia, Santa Fe, and Aspen Music Festivals. He is Professor Cello at the Hartt School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival. Finckel began his musical training on the piano with his father, and then went on to study cello with Elsa Hilger and Bernard Greenhouse. At fifteen, he made his solo debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra as winner of the Orchestra's Junior Student Competition. After taking further prizes in the Washington International Bach Competition and the Friday Morning Music Club Competition, Mr. Finckel began seven years of study with Mstislav Rostropovich. This period culminated in a performance of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with the Basel Symphony under Rostropovich's direction. In 1985, Mr. Finckel was named the first winner of the New England Conservatory Piatigorsky Artist Award, for which he had competed internationally in the triple role of soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. He later made recital debuts in New York, Washington DC, and Boston. Cello: J.B. Guadagnini (Milan, 1754)