When a group of talented musicians take the stage, the result can be magical. Audiences in Helzberg Hall in the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts are in for a treat at the end of the month when two award-winning violinists join the KC Symphony in performing awe-inspiring classics.
During the Kansas City Symphony’s concert series on May 29-31, audiences will hear Bach’s Double Concerto, Malcolm Forsyth’s Ballad of Canada, Hindemith’s Trauermusik and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2. Violinists Noah Geller and Pinchas Zukerman will collaborate on Bach’s Double Concerto.
Noah Geller, winner of numerous competitions and prizes, has performed throughout the United States and abroad. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}At the invitation of Music Director Michael Stern, Geller became the Kansas City Symphony concertmaster in 2012 and holds the Miller Nichols Chair. He has since appeared frequently as soloist with the Symphony.
Now in his third year as the Symphony’s concertmaster, Geller came to Kansas City from The Philadelphia Orchestra. During his studies at The Juilliard School, where he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Geller formed Shir Ami, “an ensemble dedicated to recovering and rejuvenating the rich musical history created by the Jewish people during the tumultuous 20th century.”
Geller, who began playing violin at age 5, said his father was a cantor in their synagogue and that music affected him throughout his formative years.
“To hear that sound at such a young age is like learning a language. Hearing my father sing Jewish music from an early age helped me to understand that music and passion are inseparable,” Geller said.
An enthusiastic music educator, Geller was appointed to the position of adjunct associate professor of violin at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. He said Bach’s Double is a great piece to get young violinists to play together, but it is truly “a gem of classical music.”
The piece is broken into three movements, the second being Geller’s favorite.
“The second movement is the centerfold of the piece,” he said. “It is a real jewel, with long, flowing melodies.”
Geller, who has performed with Zukerman as the conductor, is looking forward to playing with Zukerman in this collaboration.
“Zukerman is one of the great violinists of our time. He is one of my musical idols and an inspiring human to be around,” Geller said. “His music is one of the most beautiful sounds in the business. It will be really exciting.”
Pinchas Zukerman has been a phenomenon in the music world for more than four decades. Devoted to the next generation of musicians, he has inspired young artists with his passion and his enthusiasm for teaching has resulted in innovative programs in London, New York, China, Israel and Ottawa, Canada.
Zukerman’s 2014-15 season includes more than 100 worldwide performances, bringing him to multiple destinations in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia. Zukerman has performed at Helzberg Hall before and said he has enjoyed his visits to Kansas City.
“I have performed with Kansas City Symphony before, but this will be my first time playing a concerto with Noah Geller, and I am looking forward to the collaboration. It was Noah’s idea to play the Bach Double Concerto together, and of course I agreed!”
Born in Tel Aviv in 1948, Zukerman came to the United States in 1962 where he studied at The Juilliard School. It was then that Zukerman decided to make music his career.
“I wasn’t your ‘ideal’ student,” he said. “I was told unless you commit to a long-term discipline, it’s not going to happen. And you know what? It happened. I learned on the streets of New York and was lucky enough to absorb everything around me. Nowadays music students sit in class after class learning a limited curriculum. If I had one piece of advice for aspiring musicians, it would be to get up and get out and explore the arts in your local concert hall, museum and theater.”
“My students and I are inspired by constantly changing things along the way. If one thing doesn’t work, you have to try something else. Above all else, PASSION for music and learning is essential,” Zukerman said.
Zukerman has been awarded the Medal of Arts, the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence and was appointed as the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative’s first instrumentalist mentor in the music discipline. His extensive discography has earned him two Grammy® awards and 21 nominations.
For ticket information, visit kcsymphony.org or call 816-471-0400.{/mprestriction}
