By Coral Gables Gazette staff

The Amernet String Quartet will bring its season-long Amernet and Friends chamber music series to a close Thursday evening with a special guest collaboration featuring clarinetist Guy Yehuda at the Sanctuary of the Arts.

The performance, scheduled for Thursday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m., marks the culminating concert of the ensemble’s chamber series and continues the quartet’s role as Artists-in-Residence at Florida International University, where the group has built a reputation for imaginative programming and collaborative performances that bring leading guest musicians into South Florida’s classical music scene.

Founded in 1991, the Amernet Quartet has long been recognized as one of the region’s most accomplished chamber ensembles. The group — currently composed of violinists Misha Vitenson and Avi Nagin, violist Michael Klotz and cellist Jason Calloway — performs internationally and frequently champions contemporary composers alongside the traditional chamber repertoire.

In Coral Gables, the ensemble’s residency at FIU has positioned the quartet as a cultural anchor for chamber music audiences, presenting concerts that combine technical precision with expressive warmth and an openness to adventurous repertoire.

A clarinet voice joins the ensemble

Thursday’s concert introduces a distinctive color to the quartet’s sound world with the addition of clarinetist Guy Yehuda, whose performances have drawn attention for their lyrical tone and musical sensitivity.

Yehuda is known for an active career as both a soloist and chamber musician, appearing with orchestras and ensembles internationally while maintaining a strong commitment to collaborative performance. His appearances frequently highlight the clarinet’s versatility — an instrument capable of moving effortlessly between lyrical intimacy and dramatic virtuosity.

The partnership between string quartet and clarinet opens the door to one of chamber music’s most beloved sonic combinations, heard in repertoire ranging from Mozart’s clarinet quintet to contemporary works written specifically for the pairing. Concert collaborations such as these allow chamber ensembles to expand their palette beyond the traditional four-string format while preserving the intimacy that defines chamber music.

For audiences, the addition of clarinet often produces a richer tonal blend, with the instrument’s warm timbre weaving through the strings to create a sound that is both orchestral and conversational.

Sanctuary of the Arts continues expanding role

The concert will take place at the Sanctuary of the Arts, one of Coral Gables’ newest performing arts venues and a growing hub for music, dance and literary programming.

Since its grand opening in April 2022, the organization has presented more than 60 performances across disciplines while establishing an ambitious calendar of concerts and cultural events.

The campus occupies the historic grounds of the First Church of Christ Scientist in Coral Gables, where three designated historic buildings have been repurposed into an arts complex that includes rehearsal studios, classrooms and a 314-seat concert hall. The venue’s acoustics and intimate scale have made it particularly well suited for chamber music performances.

The Amernet and Friends series itself reflects a broader effort to expand classical programming in Coral Gables while strengthening ties between FIU’s music faculty and the wider South Florida arts community.

The series is presented by the Wertheim School of Music at Florida International University with support from the Funding Arts Network, a South Florida nonprofit that provides grants to cultural organizations throughout the region.

A season finale for chamber audiences

For the Amernet Quartet, Thursday’s program closes another season dedicated to exploring the expressive possibilities of chamber music through collaborations and guest appearances.

The ensemble’s performances are known for balancing technical rigor with interpretive imagination — qualities that have helped sustain the quartet’s reputation over more than three decades of performances in North America, Europe and Asia.

With Yehuda joining the quartet for the series finale, audiences can expect an evening that highlights the intimate dialogue and musical chemistry that define chamber music at its best.

Event details

Amernet and Friends with Guy Yehuda, clarinet
Thursday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Sanctuary of the Arts
410 Andalusia Ave., Coral Gables
Tickets: $33 (including fees)