In December David Radzynski, a student at Park University’s International Center for Music, was named concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. {mprestriction ids="1,3"}Music lovers around town and his professors at Park all unanimously agree on two things — his selection is a big deal for the Jewish violinist.
“To be the leader of this orchestra is something that is a major, major achievement, especially for somebody who is so young and who has never played in an orchestra before. Usually people get this kind of a job when they have already played in the section,” explained Ben Sayevich, a world-renown violinist who is Radzynski’s professor at Park’s ICM.
“He made an incredible impression on Zubin Mehta (IPO’s conductor) and the other members of the orchestra. It’s a very big deal and I’m not saying that just because he studied with me,” Sayevich continued. “Overnight he is becoming a very important violinist and we are all very, very happy for him and proud.”
Radzynski hails from Ohio and spent the last two-plus years studying at Park. His parents are both musical. His father, Jan Radzynski, is a composer as well as professor of composition in the music department at Ohio State University, while his mother is a pianist. He began studying the violin at the age of 6. Besides making an impression on Mehta, he has been coached in chamber ensembles by Itzhak Perlman, Peter Salaff, Robert Mann, Clive Greensmith, Gerhard Schulz and members of the Cavani Quartet and Fine Arts Quartet. In summer 2009, Radzynski gave a recital in Israel at the Jerusalem Music Center that was broadcast on radio nationwide.
After his selection as IPO’s newest concertmaster, Radzynski told the American Friends of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra that he was ecstatic when he was offered the position.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening. They brought me into this office and Zubin Mehta was there and all of the top people in the orchestra were there and I remember not knowing what to say,” he is quoted on the AFIPO website.
The 28-year-old will join the orchestra in March and is replacing Lazar Shuster, who has been concertmaster since 1987. Radzynski said he is very aware this new position is a huge responsibility.
“You get to play wonderful music. You get to lead an orchestra. You get to play chamber music. You get invited to play recitals. You get to play solos. You get the best of all worlds with this kind of job. I’m looking forward to all the opportunities that will come with the job and the job itself,” he said, while noting that he is excited to work with the entire team.
Radzynski is a citizen of both the United States and Israel because his parents are Israeli. But this will be the first time he has lived outside the United States. He has visited family and friends in Israel frequently and speaks Hebrew fluently. He will be based in Tel Aviv, as is the orchestra, because he wants to be close to his work.
Radzynski earned a Master of Music degree from the Yale University School of Music, before coming to Park to continue his studies. He will be giving a final recital on Feb. 13.
Those who aren’t familiar with the Park program constantly ask Radzynski why he chose the small program in Parkville, Mo.
“Yale gave me an incredible education and my professor of violin there was amazing, but when I met Professor Sayevich, I knew that was the next appropriate step for me to take,” he said.
“I came, I played for Professor Sayevich. I met the other professors — Stanislav Ioudenitch (piano) and Daniel Veis (cello). I saw the environment, I saw the atmosphere and I just knew immediately that that was the place I had to go. Not New York. Not Julliard. It felt right and it proved to be the right place.”
Radzynski has the utmost respect for Sayevich, who is also Jewish, and believes he has benefitted immensely from the time he has spent studying with him. He credits Sayevich with helping him become a more confident and sensitive musician.
“I had all the tools. I didn’t know how to use them very well and I didn’t know how to work very well. In those two and a half years he taught me how to listen, and how to work effectively. You can’t put a price on something like that.
“Many people know how to play. Very few people know how to approach a piece sensitively and with the right mindset to know how to work in the most effective way. Once you reach a certain level, everybody knows how to play. What Professor Sayevich taught me was how to approach the work in the practice room. That was incredibly useful,” he explained, while pointing out that Sayevich helped him prepare for the IPO audition and went out of his way on numerous occasions to help his student.
Radzynski praised the program at Park and what it does for musicians, emphasizing the fact that the ICM allows its students to concentrate solely on their music. He said that definitely isn’t the case at other, often bigger, conservatories.
“I am not busy running around playing gigs to pay my rent. I don’t have to pay rent here. It’s all paid for. I don’t have to worry about food. I don’t have to worry about anything but just practicing.”
“Here I had peace of mind. It’s in the middle of nowhere. There’s no one to bother you. It’s just you and your teacher.”
He also applauded the personal attention he got at Park, once again pointing out what a rare opportunity it is for a student to get so much one-on-one attention and something he doubts you get at more well-known conservatories.
“The studios are very small so the professor is able to give you individual attention unlike other schools in which the teacher has 15-20 students and every student gets one lesson a week and that’s it. In many other cases, especially if you study with a famous teacher, the big-name teachers teach in several schools and some people only get lessons once a month. Here, you get lessons twice a week,” he noted.
Radzynski said that’s a perk for the teachers as well.
“They are all able to focus on their students very intensely, where if they had 20 or 30 students, they wouldn’t be able to focus on each student in that way.”
As he becomes a paid musician in the real world for the first time, he thanks those who have helped him get to where he is today — including Roland and Almita Vamos, Paul Kantor, Mauricio Fuks, Kevork Mardirossian and Syoko Aki. They all played a role in his success, but once again he mentioned his mentor, Sayevich.
“My playing improved dramatically while I was here and not because I didn’t know how to play before …. I didn’t have much confidence before. The most important thing about Professor Sayevich is that he taught me how to practice. To be given confidence and to be taught how to work effectively, those two things combined, you will then achieve great results with your students.”
Cyprienne Simchowitz, a member of the ICM advisory board, is one of many in the local Jewish community who wishes Radzynski well as he embarks on this next journey.
“This tiny school produces such talented people,” she said. “We are all so happy for him.”
Radzynski recital
Park University’s International Center for Music presents graduate violinist and newly appointed concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, David Radzynski, in recital at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 13, at Graham Tyler Memorial Chapel.
Radzynski, along with pianist Lolita Lisovskaya-Sayevich, will perform Sergei Prokofiev’s “Violin Sonata No. 1 in F minor,” César Franck’s “Sonata in A major for Violin and Piano” and Maurice Ravel’s “Zigane.”
This concert is free, but reservations are required. Tickets can be ordered at http://www.park.edu/academics/international-center-for-music/events.html, or call 816-584-6484 for more information.{/mprestriction}