Violinist Leila Josefowicz, known for her technically precise and emotionally resonant performances of both traditional and contemporary works, will perform at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 8, as part of the Kilbourn Concert Series at the Eastman School of Music. Accompanied by pianist John Novacek, Josefowicz will present a program ranging from the Baroque period to contemporary music, including works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Schubert, and Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür.
Josefowicz began studying violin at the age of three using the Suzuki method. When she was 13, her family moved to Philadelphia so that she could study at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music with Jaime Laredo and Jascha Brodsky.
Since her Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 16 with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Josefowicz has become one of today’s preeminent soloists, performing around the globe with the world’s most prestigious orchestras and conductors, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the National Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and the London Symphony.
Not content to simply master the standard repertoire of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, and Tchaikovsky, Josefowicz is stretching the mold of the classical violinist in her passionate advocacy of contemporary composers and their work. She is a close and regular collaborator with the today’s leading composers, often premiering their new compositions. In recognition of her advocacy and commitment to contemporary music, Josefowicz was awarded a 2008 MacArthur Foundation Fellowship.
Novacek and Josefowicz have worked extensively together recording Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata as well as works by Messiaen, Ravel, Gray, Salonen, Beethoven, and Brahms. Her most recent releases are a recital disc and the Shostakovich Violin Sonatas and Concerto No. 1 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which received a 2007 ECHO Award, and a live recording of the Knussen concerto conducted by the composer at the London Proms.
Tickets are $10 to $20, available at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra box office, 108 East Ave., by phone at 585-454-2100, or online at https://www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/tickets.php
# # #
Calendar Listing:
December 8
8 p.m.
Kilbourn Concert Series: Violinist Leila Josefowicz, accompanied by pianist John Novacek, performs works by Brahms, Shostakovich, Stravinsky, Schubert, and Erkki-Sven Tüür.
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10 to $20, available at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra box office, 108 East Ave., by phone at 585-454-2100, or online at https://www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/tickets.php