Superstar Violinst Midori to Visit MSUM
Three young violinists with ties to MSUM perform for violin virtuoso Midori Thursday, Feb. 11 from 9:45-11:15 a.m. The masterclass takes place on Gaede Stage in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts on the MSUM campus.
Performers are Bethany Moss, daughter of Kirk Moss, associate professor of music and director of orchestral activities and string education; Sam Schoenwald, son of Rebecca Sundet-Schoenwald, assistant to the dean of the College of Arts and Humanities; and Amy Boese, a student of MSUM violin teacher Benjamin Sung. The students, who auditioned for a place in the masterclass in November, will perform and receive feedback from Midori. The event is free and open to the public.
Classical musician Midori launched her professional career 25 years ago when she performed a challenging Paganini violin concerto with the New York Philharmonic, under the direction of Zubin Mehta, when she was only 11 years old. Three years later, at a memorable debut concert with the Boston Symphony, 14-year-old Midori broke a string on her own violin, and was quickly given the concertmaster’s instrument. When another string broke, she grabbed the violin of yet another orchestra member, and didn’t miss a note. At the end of the piece, conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein fell to his knees as the audience and orchestra members erupted into applause.
During the past three decades, Midori has continued to amaze colleagues, conductors and audiences, performing as soloist with the world’s leading orchestras, headlining her own recitals and receiving critical acclaim for her recordings. She has also established several community-directed programs to address access to the arts — an issue she believes to be of crucial importance. She feels passionately that people must have access to a variety of great music, regardless of their age, race, social class, geographic location, or financial means.
In 2007 Midori was designated an official United Nations Messenger of Peace by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who cited her community engagement work as a model of exemplary commitment to worldwide goals shared by the United Nations.
Additional events involving Midori begin Feb. 10 and culminate with her performance of the Beethoven Violin Concerto with the FM Symphony Feb. 13 and 14.
For more information about the MSUM event, contact Kirk Moss at (218) 477-4099 or mosskirk@mnstate.edu. For information about other Midori activities, contact FM Symphony Executive Director Linda Coates at (218) 233-8397 or lcoates@fmsymphony.org.