Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie enjoys a dynamic and multi-faceted career. While appearing as soloist with the world’s foremost orchestras, he has also shared the stage with Rolling Stones pianist Chuck Leavell, the late Gregg Allman in “Midnight Rider,” and actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith in Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Philip Glass dedicated his Second Violin Concerto, “The American Four Seasons,” to Mr. McDuffie, and Mike Mills of R.E.M. composed his Concerto for Violin, Rock Band, and String Orchestra for him. Mr. McDuffie has recorded both works on Philip Glass’s Orange Mountain Music label. His discography also includes acclaimed recordings on the Telarc and EMI labels. Mr. McDuffie is the founder of the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy, where he was given the Premio Simpatia by the mayor of Rome and also awarded the Premio delle Muse at the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence. He is founder of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in his hometown of Macon, Georgia, and holds the Robert McDuffie Violin Faculty Chair at the Aspen Music Festival and School. He plays a 1735 Guarneri del Gesù violin, the “Ladenburg,” owned by a limited partnership formed by Mr. McDuffie. robertmcduffie.com