String Competition
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e v e n t s • performances • exhibitions at san francisco state university 26th annual irving m. klein international string competition JUNE 4-5, 2011 semifinals june 4, 10am-4pm finals june 5, 4pm knuth hall college of creative arts san francisco state university creativearts.sfsu.edu welcome from the director from the dean We welcome you to the 26th Annual Irving M. Klein A year ago, after decades of being partners, the Klein International String Competition at the College of Competition became a part of the SF State family. We Creative Arts of San Francisco State University. Last year hope that to anyone who has followed the competition the we celebrated the 25th consecutive year of presenting differences are imperceptible. It is our aspiration that the some of the world’s most extraordinary young musical event, itself, is almost unchanged. artists in exhilarating performances in San Francisco. What is changed, is that both higher education and non- Appropriately for such a milestone event, internationally profit arts are seriously challenged by hard financial times celebrated musicians honored us with their support, and and younger constituencies bringing new expectations. It is many Klein Competition alumni who have established really only possible to do more with less for so long, and then worldwide prominence joined in the celebration. decline begins. SF State and the California Music Center (the We begin the next 25 years of the Klein Competition this weekend, with nine parent group for the Klein Competition) have explored a different route: Rather than remarkable and highly individual musical artists performing a wide variety of music trying to do more with less, we are trying to do more together. By joining forces we from all periods, including marvelous commissioned works by Elena Ruehr. We hope accomplish more than we can apart, and our audiences and students will benefit. that you enjoy these engrossing musical debuts, and that you are as inspired by them We appreciate your support of this important competition and your belief in the as we are, year after year. future of music. Both SF State and the Klein are dedicated to making the legacy of The Klein Competition is a collaboration of the College of Creative Arts and the the arts available to the next generation and serve the next wave of extraordinary California Music Center (CMC). CMC will be presenting these young musicians and performers. We are glad that you are joining us in this important cause! Klein alumni in new contexts throughout the Bay Area and elsewhere as we enter our Kurt Daw second quarter century. We hope that you will look for these events, and continue to Dean, College of Creative Arts enjoy and support the musical artists of the future. contents Mitchell Sardou Klein, President/Director Irving M. Klein International String Competition About Irving M. Klein 2 california music center The Prizes 3 To learn more about this long-standing community organization, The Judges 4 including how to make a gift to support its excellent work, please visit californiamusiccenter.org, phone 415/252-1122 The Pianists 5 or email [email protected]. Judging Procedures 5 President/Director: Mitchell Sardou Klein; Executive Director: Fred Spitz Commissioned Work 6 Treasurer: Jocelyn Hughes; Secretary: Elaine Klein Past Winners 7 Directors Competition Format 8 Judith Preves Anderson Dr. Amnon Goldworth Artists’ Biographies 17 Tom Driscoll Harold Hughes Generosity and Support 23 Michael Gelfand Jennifer Kloetzel Upcoming Performances 25 Peter Gelfand Ruth Short the visionary the prizes irving m. klein (1917–1984) First prize ($12,200, including performances with the Peninsula and Santa Cruz Symphonies, Music in the Vineyards, Noontime Concerts, and other performances) Virtuoso chamber musician, master cello teacher and is given in memory of Marvin T. Tepperman (1925–1989), who discovered his compassionate friend, Irving M. Klein served as the passion for classical music as a young man in the U.S. Navy while stationed in primary exemplar of his own convictions about musical Colorado during World War II. His roommate had an impressive collection of education. He spent a lifetime in pursuit of excellence concertos, operas and symphonies on old 78s, and it was from this experience that he in musical performance, and he possessed a rare gift for became a lifelong music lover and supporter of young musical talent. Katherine (his discerning and supporting the highest motivations in daughter) and Roy Bukstein, and Katherine's mother, Jane Schueler, are honored to others, so that wherever he lived he was continually at the support this prize in his memory. growing center of a flourishing musical community. For Second prize ($3,000) is given in honor of Elaine H. Klein, wife of Irving M. Klein, 18 years he performed in this country and abroad with and for the past 25 years, an active board member and supporter of the Klein the Claremont String Quartet, a group he co-founded. Competition and California Music Center. Acclaimed as one of the finest ensembles of that era, the Claremont represented the Third prize ($2,500) is given in memory of Alice Anne Roberts, who was a dedicated U.S. Department of State in cultural exchange programs in Europe, Africa and South patron of the arts. She was a cello student of Irving Klein, with whom she particularly America. Klein was chairman of the String Department of the North Carolina School enjoyed playing cello quartets. Among her many musical activities, she was a major of the Arts and taught at Pennsylvania State University, Peabody Conservatory, supporter of the Ives Quartet, founder of the Friends of the Stanford String Quartet, University of Delaware, Goucher College and College of Notre Dame. He performed president of the Stanford Music Guild, president of Council for the Arts for the City of Palo Alto and president and co-founder of the California Music Center. with the CBS Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Leopold Stokowski’s All American Youth Orchestra and the Musica Aeterna Orchestra. He founded the California Music Fourth prizes ($1,250) are given in memory of Lena and Jules P. Flock, patrons and Center in 1971 and was its director for 13 years. lovers of the arts, who greatly admired Irving Klein for his many talents, especially for his devotion to the development of young musicians, and on behalf of Thomas Irving Klein dedicated his life to music and to humanity. It was his talent to create and Lavilla Barry, who have served as leading members of the California Music that very special atmosphere of inquiry, respect and love that served to activate the Center board for much of our history. creative efforts of his musical colleagues, students and friends. He touched many lives The prize for the Best Performance of the Commissioned Work ($200) is named in gently and yet so profoundly that his spirit and example will shine on through them memory of Allen R. Weiss and Susan E. Weiss, who were often seen ushering together for generations to come. at the competition, typically wearing a dress and bowtie made from the same fabric. –Anne Hershey They were tireless volunteers for musical and theatrical organizations, and they spent their lives encouraging children (especially their own) to express themselves through the arts. The Pablo Casals Prize ($500) is for the best performance of the solo Bach work, in honor of the musical tradition of the great master. It is given by Alan and Flora Grishman to celebrate the memory of his father, Irving M. Grishman, who bestowed the gifts of love and music. Semifinalist Prizes Each semifinalist not awarded a named prize will receive $600. 2 3 panel of judges the pianists Pianist/harpsichordist Timothy Bach is professor of piano/accompanying at San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where he designed and directs a graduate program for the training of keyboard-accompanists. He has appeared in performances in the United States and internationally with mezzo-soprano Elena Obratsova, soprano Jane Marsh, tenor David Gordon, violinists Hanwon Choi, Chee Yun and Jennifer Koh, cellists Hai-Ye Ni and Wendy Warner, and others. Bach is a founding member of the board of directors of California Summer Music, a chamber music festival and school held in Pebble Beach. Bach completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with highest honors at University of Southern California, after studies with Gwendolyn Koldofsky, Brooks Smith and Adolph Baller. Pianist Dmitriy Cogan studied with Vladimir Pleshakov and Maria Cysic at San Francisco Conservatory of Music after immigrating with his family from Russia in Ethan Filner is the violist of the Cypress String Quartet. 1974. He received undergraduate and graduate degrees in music from The Juilliard Marc Gottlieb, violinist and conductor, was concertmaster of School, where he studied with Martin Canin. Cogan has performed in Russia, France the Tulsa Philharmonic and the founding first violinist of the and Asia, as well as throughout California and the northwestern United States. He Claremont Quartet. has received numerous awards including prizes at the Robert Casadesus International Piano Competition and the Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition. Alan Grishman was first violinist of New York’s Contemporary String Quartet and the Windsor String Quartet. He participated in the Casals Festivals in France and Puerto Rico and taught at the judging procedures Duquesne University. Milton Preves (1909–2000) was a violist, conductor, teacher, soloist and a member Jennifer Kloetzel is the cellist of the Cypress String Quartet. of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 52 years starting in 1934. He was principal violist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 47 years from 1939 to 1986. He Lesley Robertson is the violist of the St. Lawrence String Quartet. played under the batons of all the Chicago Symphony’s conductors from Fritz Reiner Elena Ruehr is a composer and faculty member at the through Sir Georg Solti, except for the Chicago Symphony’s founder, Theodore Massachusetts Institute of Technology.