St Louis Symphony Associate ConcertMaster Heidi Harris Named First Recipient of the Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair

By -

The St. Louis Symphony announced today that Associate Concertmaster Heidi Harris is the first recipient of The Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair. The newly created chair announced in July 2010 was established with a $2 million endowment gift from the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, and is awarded based on merit for a period of five years to a musician of the St. Louis Symphony who demonstrates both excellence in artistry and leadership within the orchestra and the community. The award may be granted to a tenured orchestra member and carries a one-time stipend to support professional development.

Mabel Purkerson, Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation Trustee, said: “Mabel Reeder, my godmother, loved the St. Louis Symphony and was extremely generous to it. We at the Foundation felt that we could both further her legacy and support the wonderful music-making of the St. Louis Symphony with an award that recognized the individual efforts of the musicians themselves. This award not only acknowledges artistic talent, but so many other things that go into being a valued member of this orchestra, which includes a commitment to the St. Louis community.”

Violinist Heidi Harris won her first orchestra job in the St. Louis Symphony during her senior year of college at the New England Conservatory. A few years later she left the St. Louis Symphony to join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where she remained for three seasons. In 1998 she returned to the St. Louis Symphony as Assistant Concertmaster, and shortly thereafter earned her current position as Associate Concertmaster. Harris began her musical studies on the piano at age three, and began studying the violin at age four. At age 13 she made her solo debut with the Utah Symphony under the baton of Joseph Silverstein, returning again to solo with the same orchestra at ages 15 and 19. After graduating high school from the Interlochen Arts Academy , Harris went on to earn her Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory, attending under full scholarship. Harris also served as an extra in the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawa, participating in recordings with Bernard Haitink, as well as touring with the BSO while still in school. Harris has soloed extensively, as well as given recitals in the U.S. and Europe in such venues as the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston , and the Mozarteum in Germany . Her most recent concerto appearances have been with Leonard Slatkin conducting, in performances of Bartok’s Violin Concerto No. 2, and with David Robertson conducting, in performances of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4, both with the St. Louis Symphony. As well as recital and solo performances, Harris has served as guest concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony and the Phoenix Symphony. All of Harris’ solo and recital performances benefit Livada Orphan Care. Heidi Harris performs on a G.B. Guadagnini violin, dated 1753.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Acclaimed Fauré Quartett returns to Deutsche Grammophon with their first recording of Brahms

By -
Image
The Fauré Quartett continues to add authoritative recordings to the chamber music catalog with their new recording of two Brahms quartets, available from Deutsche Grammophon on January 12, 2010. These large, some say symphonic, works test the limits of technical and musical capabilities, and the Fauré Quartett once again proves why they are one of the most acclaimed ensembles performing today. Within a short period of time the Fauré Quartett has conquered the great concert halls of London , Paris , Berlin , Amsterdam , Brussels , Geneva , Hamburg , Frankfurt, Milan , Buenos Aires , Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere. “They attract superlatives wherever they go,” wrote The Strad following a concert at London ’s Wigmore Hall, while the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised them for a performance that “brought tremendous pleasure by highlighting interpretative details that had scarcely ever been heard before”. The Fauré Quartett strives to achieve a unique sound for Brahms (as indeed for every work)
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more