February 4, 2005: Volume 63, Number 5

Dinner at Beuth: chicken, pasta and the Emerson

They have a shelf full of Grammy Awards. Their records are international best sellers. Every year they play about 100 sold-out concerts at the world's most renowned halls. They are arguably the biggest celebrities of classical music.

And on Sunday, they ate dinner with students at Beuth House.

The Emerson String Quartet, longtime favorites of the popular Union College Chamber Music Series, was on campus Jan. 30 for the first of two concerts devoted to Mendelssohn's String Quartets. Their next appearance is Sunday, Feb. 6, at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel.

After their concert, they joined students and faculty for a dinner that included lemon herb chicken, pasta prima vera and conversation on topics ranging from music to GenEd to sports.

"The whole point of the Minervas is to bring us together as a community," said organizer Prof. Dianne McMullen, who said she had to start a waiting list. "Having the members of the Emerson String Quartet over for dinner was a great way to do that."

Members of the quartet -- Eugene Drucker and Phillip Setzer, violins; David Finckel, cello; and Lawrence Dutton, viola – have invited last week's diners to a rehearsal and informal reception before the performance.

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