KIM KASHKASHIAN WINS GRAMMY AWARD FOR BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
LOS ANGELES-Armenian American violist Kim Kashkashian won a Grammy
Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo on Feb. 10.
The award for Kashkashian’s recording “Kurtag & Ligeti: Music for
Viola” was announced at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards held at the
Staples Center in LA.
Kashkashian has established herself as one of the most accomplished
artists of her generation. Inspiring world-wide critical acclaim,
she has been hailed by The San Francisco Chronicle as “an artist who
combines a probing, restless musical intellect with enormous beauty of
tone.” The New York Times has joined in these accolades, praising her
“rich, mellow timbre and impressive artistry.”
In recent seasons, Kim Kashkashian has appeared as soloist with the
major orchestras of New York, Berlin, London, and Munich. and Tokyo.
Her recital appearances take her to Boston, Washington DC,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, Cleveland and Los Angeles.
Kashkashian has made guest appearances with the Tokyo, Guarneri,
and Galimir Quartets and toured with a unique quartet which included
violinists Gidon Kremer and Daniel Phillips and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
Her June 2000 recording of concertos by Bartok, Eotvos and Kurtag won
the 2001 Cannes Classical Award for a premiere recording by soloist
with orchestra. In January 2002, ECM New Series released Voci, her
recording of two large works by Luciano Berio. The album comprises
the title work for viola and orchestra as well as Naturale, a related
work for viola and percussion (Robyn Schulkowsky), and archival field
recordings of Sicilian folk music. Hayren and Monodia, released in
2003 and 2004, respectively, focus on Kashkashian’s work with the
Armenian composer Tigran Mansurian.
Kashkashian’s extensive teaching activities have included
professorships at the University of Indiana in Bloomington and at
Conservatories in Freiburg and Berlin, Germany. In September 2000, she
began teaching viola and chamber music at the New England Conservatory
in Boston.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, of Armenian descent, Kashkashian graduated
from the Peabody Conservatory of Music where she studied with Walter
Trampler and Karen Tuttle.
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