Kim Kashkashian, Violist Extraordinaire

Mar 18 2013
Browse archives for March 18, 2013
Ann Drinan
Ann Drinan

Ann Drinan, Senior Editor, has been a member of the Hartford Symphony viola section for over 30 years. She is a former Chair of the Orchestra Committee, former member of the HSO Board, and has served on many HSO committees. She is also the Executive Director of CONCORA (CT Choral Artists), a professional chorus based in Hartford and New Britain, founded by Artistic Director Richard Coffey. Ann was a member of the Advisory Board of the Symphony Orchestra Institute (SOI), and was the HSO ROPA delegate for 14 years, serving as both Vice President and President of ROPA. In addition to playing the viola and running CONCORA, Ann is a professional writer and editor, and has worked as a consultant and technical writer for software companies in a wide variety of industries for over 3 decades. (She worked for the Yale Computer Science Department in the late 70s, and thus has been on the Internet, then called the DARPAnet, since 1977!) She is married to Algis Kaupas, a sound recordist, and lives a block from Long Island Sound in Branford CT. Together they create websites for musicians: shortbeachwebdesign.com.

Ann holds a BA in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA in International Relations from Yale University.

Read Ann Drinan's blog here. web.esm.rochester.edu/poly/author/ann-drinan

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Classical Music, Performances

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As I’m sure most of you know, violist Kim Kashkashian won the Grammy for “Best Classical Instrumental Solo” for her album Kurtag and Ligeti of works by Hungarian composers Gyorgy Kurtag and Gyorgy Ligeti.

When the announcement was made, a huge buzz went through the viola world — both because a violist had won the solo instrumental Grammy, and because the pop world began reporting that Kim Kardashian had won a Grammy.

Click below for a few samples of the pop world’s hilarious confusion.

Hollywood.com

Fox News

Freep.com

To her credit, “our” Kim very kindly said that she could probably take some fashion advice from the “other” Kim.

On Wednesday, March 13, Robin Young of WBUR Boston’s “Here and Now” NPR program aired a 10-minute interview with Kim Kashkashian, about her Grammy and her recent recordings (both the Kurtag and Ligeti  solo recording and Ulysses Gaze, music by Greek composer Eleni Karaindrou). Kim talks about how much easier it is to have a solo viola career in Europe than in the States, and she and Robin discuss the Music for Food program, where musicians collect food and funds for area food pantries.

Click here for the “Here and Now” NPR interview.

Kim does a very fun thing during the interview — she plays the same four ascending notes in the style of Bach, Brahms, Kurtag & Ligeti, and Ken Ueno. The host, Robin Young, is just amazed.

Well, we violists *are* truly just amazing!

About the author

Ann Drinan
Ann Drinan

Ann Drinan, Senior Editor, has been a member of the Hartford Symphony viola section for over 30 years. She is a former Chair of the Orchestra Committee, former member of the HSO Board, and has served on many HSO committees. She is also the Executive Director of CONCORA (CT Choral Artists), a professional chorus based in Hartford and New Britain, founded by Artistic Director Richard Coffey. Ann was a member of the Advisory Board of the Symphony Orchestra Institute (SOI), and was the HSO ROPA delegate for 14 years, serving as both Vice President and President of ROPA. In addition to playing the viola and running CONCORA, Ann is a professional writer and editor, and has worked as a consultant and technical writer for software companies in a wide variety of industries for over 3 decades. (She worked for the Yale Computer Science Department in the late 70s, and thus has been on the Internet, then called the DARPAnet, since 1977!) She is married to Algis Kaupas, a sound recordist, and lives a block from Long Island Sound in Branford CT. Together they create websites for musicians: shortbeachwebdesign.com.

Ann holds a BA in Music from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and an MA in International Relations from Yale University.

Read Ann Drinan's blog here. web.esm.rochester.edu/poly/author/ann-drinan

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