A professional cellist may be the last person you’d think would rock climb for fun. But Eric Byers, cellist in the world famous Calder Quartet, is looking forward to giving Smith Rock a try when he comes to Bend to play a concert this Valentine’s Day as part of High Desert Chamber Music’s 12th season.

Eric and his colleagues will be fresh off a quartet festival in Amsterdam when they make their way to Bend to play the music of Mozart, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Webern. We had the chance to catch up with Eric recently to learn more about his background, the Calder Quartet and this special Valentine’s Day program.

Despite having movie-star good looks befitting the Calder Quartet’s Los Angeles home-base, you won’t find Eric in any Hollywood movies; he’s always wanted to be a classical musician. His father was a violinist in the Cincinnati Symphony, and Eric grew up playing in the Cincinnati Youth Symphony system. Summers at the Aspen Music Festival convinced him that a life in a string quartet — playing beautiful music with good friends — was the way to build a happy career in music.

In speaking with him about their Bend program, Eric notes that the Valentine’s Day concert features two of the greatest quartets ever written, plus a couple of romantic interludes as a nod to the holiday. Mozart’s Spring quartet, and Beethoven’s Quartet No. 12, Opus 127 anchor the program, while short romantic pieces by Rachmaninoff and Webern will tug on the heart strings.

Eric is performing in concert with the Calder Quartet at the Tower Theatre when High Desert Chamber Music’s 12th season continues on Friday, February 14, at 8pm. Tickets are available through High Desert Chamber Music by phone or online.

Come hear the music!
HighDesertChamberMusic.com