World-renowned violinist Robert McDuffie to perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the McDuffie Center for Strings Orchestra of Mercer University

Free concert in a tropical conservatory on April 25th.
We are excited about this concert at the Garden. Yesterday a woman called me from Atlanta and said she was thrilled to hear about the concert, because she heard Robert McDuffie perform in Europe and was a great fan. Here is our press release, telling you all the details. Just make sure you call in a reservation, because seating is limited.

Students and faculty from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, Mercer University, Macon will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia’s Visitor Center & Conservatory on Wednesday, April 25, 2012.

Founded as a special institute within Mercer University’s Townsend School of Music, the McDuffie Center for Strings is a highly selective program that prepares string students for success in the real world. Enrollment is limited to twelve violinists, six violists, six cellists and two double bassists. This exceptional evening will feature the gifted students in this program. This Botanic Musicale concert is part of a series created in honor of Neva Langley Fickling, whose talent as a pianist helped her become the only Miss Georgia to wear the Miss America crown. Neva has performed as a guest soloist with the Macon, Atlanta, Utah, and Benevento, Italy, Symphony Orchestras and given numerous recitals.

Highlighting the evening will be Robert McDuffie, a Grammy-nominated violinist who founded the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and serves as distinguished university professor of music at Mercer University. McDuffie has appeared as soloist with most of the major orchestras of the world, including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics, Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony, Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional de Mexico, and all of the major orchestras of Australia. He has been profiled on NBC’s “Today”, “CBS Sunday Morning”, PBS’s “Charlie Rose”, A&E’s “Breakfast with the Arts”, and in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Performing on the harpsichord, Elizabeth Pridgen, the G. Leslie Fabian piano chair in music at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings, has distinguished herself as a soloist and chamber musician and has appeared as soloist with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Rome Symphony Orchestra, and DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. She performs regularly at festivals, including the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, the Rome Chamber Festival in Rome, Italy, the Strings Music Festival in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and the Madison Chamber Music Festival in Madison, Georgia.

This concert is free to the public, but with limited seating. Advance tickets may be reserved by calling 706-542-6014. The concert begins at 7:00 pm and is followed by a reception in the Gardenside Room.