During his tenure, the Festival hosted many world-renowned artists including, Yo-Yo Ma, Andre Watts, Itzhak Perlman, Hillary Hahn, Lynn Harrell, Joshua Bell, Pinchas Zukerman, Midori, Ann-Sophie Mutter, the Dover Quartet, Wynton Marsalis and Renée Fleming,

Christopher Rex was a celebrated cellist. He began taking cello lessons at age eight, and in 2018 he celebrated 50 years as a symphony cellist and recitalist. He began his career after graduating from the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music and studying under renowned cellist Leonard Rose at The Juilliard School. Mr. Rex launched his career with several regional symphony orchestras before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy for seven seasons. He subsequently became the principal cellist of the Atlanta Symphony for 39 seasons.

During his extensive career, Mr. Rex served as principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic on a European tour in 1988, he performed as soloist with the New York Philharmonic in Lincoln Center and with the Manhattan Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall. As an orchestra member, he performed in Carnegie Hall more than 50 times in addition to playing two recitals in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall. Mr. Rex was one of the founding members of the Georgian Chamber Players in Atlanta and the Christiania Trio with Atlanta Symphony concertmaster David Coucheron and David’s pianist sister, Julie Coucheron. He was also artistic director of the Madison Chamber Music Festival in Madison, Georgia.

Mr. Rex truly lived a life dedicated to bringing the joy of music to audiences and especially to mentoring young musicians. He was instrumental in starting the Festival’s Spring Institute, which is a premier training and learning program for outstanding college quartets.

The Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival forever recognizes Mr. Rex’s contributions to Amelia Island, the music community, and the many students whose lives he touched. As a tribute to his life’s work, and in honor of his memory, the Festival has renamed the Spring Institute as the Christopher Rex String Seminar.