The Castle Chamber Series’ third season of four intimate concerts begins Sunday, Nov. 17, at Wartburg College with two award-winning performers.

The series — featuring some of the finest Cedar Valley musicians and guest performers — tears down the “fourth wall” between artists and audience, with discussions during and after performances. The hourlong concerts, starting at 2 p.m. in the Hagemann Castle Room, are $5 (free for students with ID).

Violinist Borivoj “Boro” Martinic-Jercic and pianist Mei-Hsuan Huang, both Iowa State University assistant professors and members of the Amara Quartet (formerly the Ames Quartet), will be the guest performers Nov. 17. 

Martinic-Jercic, a native of Croatia, is a winner of the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin Award, the foremost international competition for young violinists. He has performed in North America, Europe and Asia, and records for the EDI and Naxos labels. He holds a degree from the Blagoje Bersa Conservatory of Music in Croatia and bachelor and master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. 

Huang has been a prizewinner at the USASU (Arizona State University) International Piano and the International Chopin Piano competitions, and has performed at numerous summer festivals, including Aspen and Banff. 

She earned a bachelor’s degree at the National Taiwan Normal University, master’s degree at Cleveland Institute of Music and doctoral degree at The Ohio State University.

The other three concerts will be:

• Wartburg faculty Brian Pfaltzgraff (tenor) and Ted Reuter (piano) presenting Franz Schubert’s “Winterreise,” Jan. 12.
• University of Northern Iowa pianist Sean Botkin offering a solo recital, March 2.
• Wartburg faculty member Eric Wachmann (clarinet), Botkin and Suzanne Bullard (cello, UNI Suzuki School faculty) performing a program of trios and other chamber works, April 13.