Emerson String Quartet gets new cellist

The nine-time Grammy-winning Emerson String Quartet, artists-in-residence at Stony Brook University, announced Tuesday its first personnel change in 34 years. Cellist David Finckel will be replaced in 2013 by Paul Watkins, a British conductor and musician.

Finckel, who joined the Emerson in 1979, said he was leaving the foursome to pursue unspecified artistic endeavors. "My heart is warmed by the knowledge that Paul Watkins' enormous gifts as a cellist and musician will fuel the Emerson's onward journey with vibrant energies and fresh perspectives," Finckel said. "I'm equally excited for the opportunities which await me."

Winner of the 2002 Leeds Conducting Competition, Watkins, a native of Wales, became the first-ever music director of the English Chamber Orchestra in 2009. He also has guest-conducted all the principal British orchestras, including the London Philharmonic. "I am acutely conscious of the enormous contribution David Finckel has made," Watkins said. "I will make every effort to honor his extraordinary legacy."

The change in cellists will not affect the Emerson String Quartet's relationship with Stony Brook University's distinguished music department, where founding member Philip Setzer is a faculty member, says a spokeswoman for the ensemble.

Watkins will join Setzer and founding member Eugene Drucker, both violinists, and violist Lawrence Dutton, who joined the Emerson in 1977, one year after its formation during the nation's bicentennial year. The quartet takes its name from the great American poet-philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson.

The Emerson next plays at Staller Center on March 15.