Giora Schmidt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Giora Schmidt (born January 9, 1983) is an American/Israeli violinist.
Still in his 20s, Schmidt has become one of the most sought-after young artists today. His commanding presence and lush tone have earned him a reputation as a virtuoso of the grand tradition, whose effortless technique is illuminated by a richness of color and youthful flair.
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[edit] Biography
Giora Schmidt was born into a family of musicians in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents emigrated from Israel in 1978, and are formerly of the Philadelphia Opera Orchestra. Michal Schmidt, a cellist and pianist, is on the faculties of Dickinson and Haverford Colleges. Dov Schmidt is a violinist and businessman.
Schmidt began his violin studies at the age of four, but did not truly become serious until the age of 14 when he began spending summers at the Perlman Music Program in Shelter Island, NY. It was there that he met maestro Itzhak Perlman; and after two consecutive summers at the camp, Perlman invited Schmidt to study with him full time at the Juilliard Pre-College. Schmidt spent the next two years commuting between Philadelphia and New York, to live and study with his mentor.
At 18, Schmidt began his studies at the Juilliard College where he continued his work with Perlman and also with the late violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay. When Schmidt is not playing, he teaches as an assistant to Perlman at the Juilliard Pre-College, where he will also join the chamber music faculty in the fall of 2007.
Schmidt has collaborated with such acclaimed musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Anne Sofie von Otter and Michael Tree.
He has also appeared with numerous orchestras, including the Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Fort-Worth, New Jersey, San Diego, Long Island, Louisville, Phoenix, Arkansas, El Paso, Columbus (Ohio), Vancouver and Israel Philharmonic orchestras.
[edit] Honors
- 2005 Samuel Sanders Artist Award, presented to him by Itzhak Perlman at the Classical Recording Foundation Awards Ceremony at Carnegie Hall
- 2003 Avery Fisher Career Grant
- First Prize in the Philadelphia Orchestra's Albert M. Greenfield Student Competition
- First Prize at the Concerto Competition at the Music Academy of the West
[edit] Quotes
"Young Violinist Dazzles Arsht Center Audience" The Miami Herald, February 16, 2008
by Lawrence A. Johnson
"The evening was clearly one for violinists at the Knight Concert Hall with Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman in attendance for the performance by the Israel Chamber Orchestra. Perlman -- who will conduct the New World Symphony in the same hall on Saturday -- had a particular reason for being at the Adrienne Arsht Center, with his former student and current teaching assistant, Giora Schmidt in the spotlight as soloist Tuesday.
Born in Philadelphia and raised in the United States and Israel, Schmidt, 25, comes with stellar credentials and has been building an increasingly prominent international career. The young musician more than lived up to his advance press in an outstanding performance of Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.
Perlman's influence is apparent in Schmidt's lyrical approach and especially his timbre -- an acutely focused, gleaming sound that recalls Perlman in his prime. Schmidt also possesses a daunting technical arsenal and sailed through the bravura passages of the outer movements with remarkably even articulation at a rapid tempo, without breaking a sweat.
While the fireworks were exhilarating, Schmidt's playing was most impressive in the Andante, where his sweet tone and judiciously calibrated vibrato were models of taste and style, conveying yearning lyricism without crossing the line to sticky sentiment."
"Perlman protégé infuses Beethoven with new elan" NEWSDAY, November 20, 2006
by Peter Goodman
“One way to tell whether performers really have the goods is to listen to what happens when they play very, very softly.
Consider, for example, the young violinist Giora Schmidt, a protégé and student of Itzhak Perlman, who played the Beethoven Violin Concerto Saturday night in the opening concert of the Long Island Philharmonic's 28th season. At the very quietest moments of the first movement, when the violin's singing was almost inaudible, all one heard in the auditorium was the faint murmur of the ventilation system - and the violinist. Schmidt held the audience rapt. There was not a cough or rustle to be heard.
There were many moments like that in the performance. At times Schmidt made this most familiar of concerti sound fresh, almost improvisatory, as if the music had never been heard before. He played the first movement cadenza as a long, narrative exposition of what had come before, not merely an occasion for display.
Impeccable technique and control are so common nowadays that Schmidt could not really impress through sheer virtuosity, though there was plenty of that. In fact, on occasion his sound was rather small, but at its best his playing had a delicate sweetness and a golden sheen. His manner on stage was almost diffident - no grandiose digging and sweating, no strenuous, visible effort. Rather, Schmidt triumphed through the music alone, and much of the time his performance was indeed a triumph.”
"Pop goes the violin" Fort-Worth Star-Telegram, October 7, 2006
by Matthew Erikson
"Giora Schmidt, 23, was the soloist in the Bruch concerto, though his thick, vibrato-rich sound and sure self-possession suggested a player at least a generation older. Schmidt got to the rhapsodic soul of the music with a colorful sense of inflection and virtuosic flair."
"An Evening with Lynn Harrell" from Cello.org Newsletter February, 2006
by Tim Janoff
"Violinist Giora Schmidt is a protégé of Itzhak Perlman and serves as Perlman's teaching assistant at Juilliard. He is also in a piano trio with Navah Perlman (Itzhak's daughter) and Zuill Bailey. Though still in his early twenties, Schmidt has an engaging presence on stage and a style of playing that is reminiscent of his teacher. I asked Schmidt about his mentor's teaching approach and he said that Perlman encouraged the use of lots of vibrato and emphasized the importance of projecting to the back rows of a concert hall. Perlman is not that interested in historical performance practice issues, but he certainly doesn't discourage his students from delving into such matters. Schmidt showed his deep respect for his teacher by always referring to him as "Mr. Perlman."
Schmidt also studied with the late great violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay, whose former students include Itzhak Perlman, Midori, and others. He described DeLay's well-known lack of punctuality when teaching, somewhat affectionately known as being "DeLayed" by the students who languished for hours outside her studio door. Schmidt recalled showing up for his lesson on time and her not popping her head out of the door until two hours later. Given that there were others who had already been waiting much longer than him, he assumed that he still had many hours to wait. Instead, she asked him to come in next, which was a sign that she liked him."''
[edit] Recordings
| Release | Works | Performers | Label/Catalog No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocalise September 2007 |
|
|
Allegro/Endeavour Classics |
| Live From El Paso Pro-Musica February 2007 |
|
Dohnányi
Arensky
|
Delos |
