Career Conversations with Amy Schwartz Moretti

Artistic Director of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings and violinist of the Ehnes Quartet, Amy Schwartz Moretti is a violinist who has established herself as a soloist, chamber musician, and guest concertmaster. Listen as Moretti shares stories of how she met James Ehnes and Robert McDuffie, turning points in her career, and her advice for how to balance a multifaceted career while balancing your personal life.

For more information on Amy Schwartz Moretti: amyschwartzmoretti.com
For more information on the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings: McDuffie.mercer.edu

Transcript

Hi, everyone. Welcome to the Backstage Classical Career Conversations podcast. I'm your host, Katrina Stroud, and I'm a classical violinist who started playing at the age of three.

I graduated from the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University with my bachelor's in violin performance, and I'm pursuing my master's in music at the University of Michigan. This podcast is for musicians, especially those aspiring for a professional career in music, or just those looking for an inside look into the classical music world. In this series, I invite esteemed classical musicians onto the show and interview them to tell their stories and give advice to share with others and preserve their legacies.

For today's episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Amy Schwartz Moretti. Our interview is taking place at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings Bell House in Macon, Georgia. 

Amy Schwartz Moretti is recognized as a deeply expressive artist and appears as a soloist and chamber musician on international series. She is a member of the Ehnes Quartet along with James Ehnes, Brian Chen, and Edward Arron. She is also the inaugural director and violin teacher at the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, which is a strings program for gifted young artists supported by full tuition scholarships. She has also established the Fabian Concert Series, which brings world-class musicians to Mercer for performances and classes.

Ms. Moretti has also been concertmaster of the Oregon and Florida Symphonies and has served as guest concertmaster for the Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Houston Symphony Orchestra along with many others. She has received multiple Juno Awards for her recordings with James Ehnes and has many of her own recordings, including a recording of the Schmitz Violin Concerto, which was written for her with the London Symphony Orchestra in 2024. On top of all of this, she has received many different awards and has raised a family with her husband and two boys.

So I just want to ask you first thing. This is incredible. You have always been such an inspiration to me. So my first question is, if you could pinpoint one turning point in your career, what would that be?

Oh, my. Okay, that's a hard one because there have been so many throughout each stage of life. There's something that happens that sends you on the path that ultimately leads to where we are today.

One big turning point for me was when I was 12 years old and got to play the first movement of the Kabalevsky Concerto with the Winston Salem Symphony as their soloist. So I won their Young Artist Competition, and I had never had that experience before. So getting to play with a full orchestra standing behind me, and it was a kids' concert.

So I was playing for a huge group of young people that were younger than I was, but I was only 12.

Yeah.

So that was a big turning point. Summers at Meadow Mount, big turning point that really solidified what I wanted to do. Yeah, it's like really, like I feel like my life's trajectory.

There were so many turning points. During college, right at the end of college, someone had told me about the Florida Orchestra Concertmaster position being open, and that I should take that audition. That was a turning point.

I never thought I would do that. Having lunch with Robert McDuffie in Portland, Oregon, where we were playing chamber music together, and he told me about something in Macon, Georgia, something that he was teaching, or the distinguished professor at Mercer University. That turned out to be a big turning point in my life coming here.

Yeah, so many things, really. I feel very fortunate.

After you graduated from CIM, what were you thinking career-wise?

I had grown up playing a lot of chamber music, and I was in a very serious string quartet in college, and I had done a lot of solo stuff, like the Winston-Salem Symphony, what I was telling you about. I played Carnegie Hall with the New York Youth Orchestra. I got to do a concerto with them on the big stage.

I had some pretty incredible experiences, and I had trained my whole life thinking that I was going to perform in some way. I got a very serious injury right after I graduated college. So right at the same time you are, be careful while you're packing up your apartment and moving, because that's when I injured myself.

Oh, from packing.

Exactly.

Wow.

Like the point that you are right now, imagine that.

I will for sure be careful. Thank you for the warning.

No, it was at that point that I injured myself. I injured my left elbow from doing too much moving. And anyway, long story short, after a long period of time of recovery, it was about six months, I was back playing stronger than ever.

Like I feel actually like it. I mean, maybe that's another turning point. You're like making me think of turning points.

Like that was another turning point in my life because it made me really rethink playing, positioning and regaining my strength and how to take care of my body at your age. And then someone told me, I think it was during that period of time when I was like, oh no, I'm not able to play the violin. What am I going to do with my life?

Oh my gosh, if I can't play now, what am I going to do because violin and music has been such an important part? So someone had told me about this Concertmaster audition for the Florida Orchestra which was down in Tampa Bay area. And so I just decided to take it and I had never prepared Concertmaster solos.

I had sat Concertmaster several times and always loved it. So anyway, that's how my career began. I took that audition and it turned out that I won it and that was how my career started.

Wow. I just want to segue a little bit from talking about injury. What were some things you did to recover and what were some things you learned about taking care of your body as a musician and being careful?

Yeah, it really taught me a lot outside of music, how to take care of the body. And I did all the physical therapy, I did all the different things that the doctors and the therapists were telling me to do. But I learned how to do stretches that are important and basically figured out a routine, a daily routine, for me to take care of my body.

But also it just made me very aware of relaxing the arms when you're not playing or also just not carrying heavy items. I really learned my lesson. I thought that I could do anything and I could lift this and do whatever and it's like, well, no, you really should be careful about how heavy of things you lift.

So I think that's basically it, just being very aware your body too and listen to your body. When you're tired, you're tired and take care of yourself.

Like you said, you were a concertmaster before you got the job at the McDuffie Center and joined the quartet. What made you switch career paths from being a concertmaster and being in an orchestra to everything that you do now?

Well, I think, so for me, starting straight out of school, going right into being a concert master, learning all of that repertoire very quickly. I mean, week in, week out, playing all kinds of orchestral repertoire, doing a lot of chamber music, doing a lot of concertos, because when you're concert master, you get to do all that stuff. Concert master life for me was really the best of all the worlds in the way.

I loved it. After Florida Orchestra, after five years there, I got the job with the Oregon Symphony and moved to Portland, and loved it there. Continued learning a lot of new music and all the same things that I was talking about, doing chamber and solo.

I don't know. I think it was a time in my life where I'd been a concertmaster for, I guess it was about eight years at that point. When Robert McDuffie approached me about this position, and his idea for the school and the program, and the freedom that it would give me to be able to do all kinds of performing that I wanted to do and that wouldn't be within the confines of an orchestra schedule. I think at that point in my life, this was 18 years ago now, was very appealing.

It was pre-kids. I had not had my children yet. I think I was excited to explore something new too, because I mean, just as I didn't expect going into being a concertmaster, I really did not expect what I was about to encounter when I moved here.

It was a good time in my life, and I decided to make a big change. Although it's like, in a way, I don't feel like it's like a complete career change, because I'm still doing all the things that I love to do, and I still sometimes get to go play orchestra, go play sit guest concertmaster, and so I feel like I still have all the wonderful things that I love about music so much.

How did you meet Robert McDuffie originally? You've talked about it a little bit, but how did he approach you with this idea, and what did he say?

You know Mr. McDuffie. You know how he has so much charisma, and just really has wonderful ideas. Anyway, I had known him from a young age.

He had come to Greenville, North Carolina when I was a kid and performed and given a masterclass, and he came to Florida Orchestra when I was a concertmaster there, and played a concerto there. Then it wasn't until we were playing chamber music together, for Chamber Music Northwest out in Portland, Oregon, that we were having one of those musicians get together for lunch in between their rehearsals, and we were having one of those lunch breaks, and that's when he started telling me about Mercer and Macon. And Mr. McDuffie and I have a lot in common because we both grew up in the South.

And I wasn't born in the South, but I grew up from a young age in Greenville, North Carolina. And we both had to go away to study. We both studied with the same teacher in New York, Margaret Pardee.

So when he started, it was just interesting talking to him about it and hearing his idea for Macon and Mercer. But it was not for another year and a half that he called me about the job. Yes.

So I mean, it was like that was a flash in the pan, that kind of thing, like having that lunch. And then I was going about my life in Portland. And so it was a phone call.

That was how he talked to me. He called me up and he said that I really needed to do this and that this would be so great. And anyway, he's very convincing.

Yeah. But I mean, really, the McDuffie Center was just an idea at that point. So I came to visit Macon and see what this all was.

And this building was here in Macon, but it wasn't part of the McDuffie Center. So I mean, I really, I came to visit and then decided, you know what, this will be an interesting life here. And so anyway, that's how it all, it's an interesting tale of how it all came to be.

Yeah. What were some of the unexpected challenges you faced in starting the McDuffie Center for Strings?

Unexpected challenge. I think everything was, I don't think I knew what to expect. My father was a dean of various music schools.

That's why we moved around a lot when I was young. So I grew up kind of seeing what he did administratively, but I never saw that that was going to be my life. But anyway, that gave me some background and someone that I could kind of call and ask questions about as I was coming upon unexpected things.

But I think university environment is probably like any other workplace. You have your people who are specialists in their areas, and they feel very strongly about their area. Just as I came in here feeling very strongly about establishing something that was going to be really high quality string related.

I don't think I realized maybe the extent of recruiting, of marketing. I don't think I really knew how much was going to be involved when I got started, but it just somehow organically has happened and there's always something. Somebody told me this line, a day without chaos is a missed opportunity.

No, it's like there's always something and you just have to roll with it. You go with it and you figure out things without compromising on your quality.

It's been amazing. The center started with two students, and now we're at full capacity and full tuition scholarships for everybody. It's really amazing. I've had an incredible four years experience here.

It's been great having you here. You're an example of one of these incredibly talented students that walk these halls and dedicate themselves to everything, but also you totally embraced everything going on at Mercer too, doing well in all your classes, getting yourself well around it so that you can go out and have a great future too.

Thank you so much. How did you first meet James Ehnes? And how did the Ehnes Quartet form?

So you were asking about turning points in the life. I mentioned Meadowmount. So when I was like 12 or 13, that's when I first met James.

We were just kids at summer camp together. Through the years, we reconnected. He came with the Florida Orchestra to play Sibelius Concerto.

I remember it like it was yesterday. Ever since that point, I think he was at the starting point of his artistic directorship with the Seattle Chamber Music Society. Then it was like, okay, let's find reasons to play together.

I started going there a lot and then the quartet then soon got started after that.

Who are some of the most influential people in your career, would you say?

It has to be my teachers, of course. Every teacher has been in my life, I feel like at the right moment, my first private teacher, Joanne Bath, who was an amazing Suzuki violin teacher. Then Zavan Melikian, who I studied with out in San Francisco.

He was the concertmaster of the San Francisco Opera. Throughout his life, he served as a huge mentor to me. He was the one when I injured myself that I went back to and spent some time with him.

As we got my strength back, he was very important to me and my college teacher Donald Weilerstein. Just incredible artist, musician, such a great influence, and then all the chamber music coaches along the way. There have been some conductors that have been great mentors to me too.

Who do you go to for advice today?

Sadly, Zavan Melikian passed away recently, so I'm not able to call him anymore, but he was one that I would always call when there was something that I had a question about. Someone that I also met when I was very young, Thomas Wilkins, who's a great conductor. He's someone, when I need musical advice, I will oftentimes call him.

I just, I think the world of him, and I know he'll have a very honest and centered reaction to anything that I have a question about. Of course, my husband.

Yes.

My parents, it's like all the people that are truly close. My quartet colleagues are, I'm awfully close with them. I have a lot of special people.

So out of everything that you do between teaching, directing, being a chamber musician, soloist, and guest concertmaster, what is your favorite thing, if there is one?

Okay, my absolute favorite thing, if I could only do is to play the violin. So that is true to who I am. I love making music and playing music and sharing music with other people, whether it's just rehearsing, whatever chamber thing, it's sharing it with the audience.

That is my true passion, my true love. Then everything stems out from there. So when I think about the teaching side of my life, and students like you that I've had, it's like when I see breakthroughs happen where something kicks in, and I can tell that the player knows that some things are coming together for them, that's so rewarding.

But it really all stems back to playing music and sharing music. I also try to instill that in my students too. But that's why we do this, right?

Because we love it so much.

Starting the Fabian concert series, when did that idea begin? And how did you start recruiting people to come perform?

Building a concert series, I don't think, you were talking about unexpected things. I don't think that I really had anticipated that as part of the job when I first got here. But it was something that, of course, when you're building a program and you want to have guest artists come in and work with the students and then how do you play concerts?

So it really evolved organically. I remember Bobby, Mr. McDuffie, Robert McDuffie, talking to me about it and at one point we finally got the name for the concert series. I think it started right away when I was here and we had several concerts that we put on.

But then we got someone who gave a gift, Joe Fabian, and it then became endowed because that gift then made it possible that each year we could definitely keep having concerts. Over time it evolved and it is a great way to bring people to Macon to play for our community here. It gives me an outlet for performing and it gives the students a way to interact with the artists whether they're on the stage with them performing when they're ready or playing in the classes that happen while these guest artists are here.

So it's basically one of those win-win situations serves the education purpose, it serves the community and serves the art and culture side of things.

No, it's been amazing having them and as a student, it's just been really cool to see all of that and it's been-

Did you get to try one of the Strads?

I did. 

I know, even like those kind of experiences when-

Amazing. Yeah. How do you balance everything that you do? I always wonder how you do it and raise a family at the same time. What you do to stay centered?

So I have a feeling you're probably the same way, but I always want to do well at whatever I'm doing. So it's like that is kind of my inner compass, and because of the slow build of the center, of the McDuffie Center over time, when we only had the two students in the beginning, there was a lot of time to do other things. It wasn't like I had 12 hours of private teaching, and studio class, and all these things going on.

My splitting of time and figuring out where to prioritize has evolved over time. Definitely at this point in my life, and once my children came along, it's a balancing act. And every day, I just try to prioritize what definitely needs to get done that day, where my attention needs to be part of overseeing the program and being the teacher.

Sometimes that you can, there's flexibility in scheduling, which then allows if something has to get done, and things have to shift around, you know, you figure that out. When I was in the orchestra, those orchestra times are, that's when they meet. Like, it's a different lifestyle that way, when I think about it. 

But building on that, what I will say about when you're in an orchestra, you know what your hours are, and then you know when the concerts are, and then the other time you practice and stuff. My job now is basically 24-7. I might get, on the weekends, I might get a late night text or a late night message that something needs assistance, and so administratively, things are never quiet.

But I think, going back to how important playing is to me, like I always carve out time for that. That's a priority for me. So I make time for that, juggling around everything else, and then having a family actually makes me feel more centered with everything.

I think family always comes first, and of course, I want to be the best mom I should try to be. But it's not like everybody, I know everybody tries. Yeah, just, I guess, prioritizing.

What advice would you give to musicians who want to have a family? Because I know sometimes it can be intimidating, you know, such busy schedules.

It's probably different for everyone. It depends on your partner, the person that is there that could help you with the child while you're trying to do everything. I feel especially fortunate that the woman who was the Artistic Director of Seattle Chamber Music before James, her name was Toby Sachs.

She was a beautiful cellist and had a family herself. And after I had my first son, she's like, we're going to get you back up on that stage right away. And so she had me play Schubert Trout Quintet, which I'd never played before.

But she was like, no, you're playing it. And this was in under three months from when the baby was born. And I think with having people like her that were also just motivating, keeping me going, that was really important for my life then.

Because I think it really boils down to how much you want to do and where you put your priorities. And I do remember people telling me after having kids, oh, you're probably you're playing, it's not going to go a little downhill and you're not finding time for it. And all of that is going to be hard.

But I always, it's because I love it so much. I just, I made time for it. So I think, and that depends on the person.

So, and once you have the baby, and once you see what family life is like. But it's totally possible. And I don't think that I've short changed anything.

Like I was just at my son's choir concert the other night. And the soccer game and you make time for all the things in your life.

No, I love that. Making time and making priorities. At the end of a long concert day or a long day of teaching, you'll always be like, I need to get home to my boys, make sure they're doing their homework.

That sounds like me. They're probably not doing it.

No, but that's amazing. I love everything that you do. So I just want to finish out with one question.

If you could tell aspiring musicians one piece of advice, what would it be?

The thing that comes immediately to my mind is follow your heart, which I guess means make time for the things in your life that you care about. If you really care about music and love doing it, then you'll find the time to practice hard. It takes a lot of work.

Right.

It takes a lot of work to be really great, follow your heart, and always be a good person. It's all about relationship building, but that's what I mean by follow your heart. Do the right thing.

Be good to others and hopefully the rewards will come.

Thank you so much to Amy Schwartz Moretti for joining me today and sharing her incredible journey of being a multi-faceted classical violinist and a strong woman leader in the classical music world. Her passion for the violin shone through and her advice of working hard, following your heart, and being a good person applies to all of us no matter our industry. You can learn more about her on amyschwartzmoretti.com, and keep up with her with the Ennis Quartet and learn more about the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at mcduffie.mercer.edu.

Thank you so much for joining me on Backstage Classical Career Conversations, and be sure to subscribe and leave a review so that others can discover these inspiring musical journeys. If you want to hear more and stay updated, follow us on Instagram and tune into our new episodes which drop each month. I'm Katrina Stroud and it was great to see you here.

Until next time, stay inspired and listen to the stories of others.”