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through unique opportunities such as the MMSO, Fabian Concert Series, and other experiences. But much is also changing on the threshold of a new 20 years. For example, attend the Sept. 21 MMSO season-opening concert, and you'll be introduced to new McDuffie Center faculty member and distinguished artist, violinist Stefan Jackiw. Jackiw was praised by The Boston Globe for playing of "uncommon musical substance." He'll be joined by McDuffie faculty cellist Brannon Cho, first-prize winner of the International Paulo Cello Competition, performing Brahms' Double Concerto. Directing will be Case Scaglione, former associate conductor of the New York Philharmonic, who makes his Macon debut — extending the number of outstanding conductors being introduced to Macon. Behind the scenes, preparing students for MMSO performances, is the Center's new director of orchestral training, Yaniv Segal. This year's Fabian concerts also reflect a change: they will now be curated by violist Lawrence Dutton, who takes on the role of artistic director. Dutton has taught viola at the McDuffie Center since its earliest days and has an enviable résumé by any standard, including being a nine-time Grammy Award winner with the world's foremost string quartet (now disbanded) the Emerson String Quartet, founded at The Juilliard School in 1976. A documentary on the quartet, "Four Rational People," will take place as a special screening at Macon Film Festival on August 23, with appearances by Dutton and McDuffie. As a longtime observer and participant at the McDuffie Center — and an educator at other institutions such as Stony Brook University in New York — Lawrence Dutton has a unique perspective on the Center's past and future. "I've been with the McDuffie Center pretty much since the beginning," he said. "I've seen it change over time, and of course changes are happening now. But one thing that hasn't changed is that since the beginning, the level has grown and gotten better every year. It all has to do with how [Robert] set up the school and the people he brings in as faculty. As a result, you see how students finish their bachelor's program in Macon, then transfer to some of the 110 maconmagazine.com | August/September 2026 ABOVE New director of the McDuffie Center Emily Brandenburg poses inside the headquarters at the Bell House. Photo by DSTO Moore.