2009 Mimir season begins
12th annual chamber music festival headlined by Leeds winner Alessio Bax.
by The TCU Magazine staff
Alessio Bax (background) joins Curt Thompson (foreground) at the opening performance of the 12th annual Mimir Chamber Music festival.
The 12th annual Mimir Chamber Music Festival, named
for the Norse god of wisdom, begins in PepsiCo Recital Hall on campus today, featuring outstanding artists from the world's leading
orchestras and music schools coming together to share their love for
chamber music. Mimir is the premiere Festival in the South Central
United States dedicated exclusively to the study and performance of
chamber music. Artists are selected not only for their superb
performing skills, but also for their ability to teach.
Throughout the two-week Festival, guest artists hold master classes
for aspiring pre-professional musicians, selected for participation
through a rigorous audition process. In the evenings, guest artists
present a series of five exciting and distinctly different musical
performances.
This year's performers are:
- Erin Keefe (violin), winner of the 2006 Avery Fisher
Career Grant and a member of the prestigious Chamber Music Society of
Lincoln Center Two program
- Stephen Rose (violin), principal second violin of the Cleveland Orchestra
- Curt Thompson (violin), founding director of Mimir and associate professor of violin in the TCU School of Music
- Che-Yen Chen (viola) is a four-time winner of the National
Viola Competition in his native Taiwan. He studied at The Curtis
Institute of Music and The Juilliard School and is now principal viola
of the San Diego Symphony.
- Kirsten Docter (viola) is a member of Cavani String Quartet, winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award.
- Brant Taylor (cello), a member of the Chicago Symphony,
appears as guest soloist with orchestras and at music festivals around
the world. In addition to teaching at the DePaul University School of
Music, he also performs with the band Pink Martini.
- Alessio Bax (piano) was First Prize winner of the Leeds
International Pianoforte Competition in 2000. He has performed with
more than 70 orchestras and worked with a number of esteemed conductors.
- José Feghali (piano), Gold Medalist at the 1985 Van
Cliburn International Piano Competition, has been Artist-in-Residence
in the TCU School of Music for many years. He is also associate
director of Mimir.
- John Novacek (piano) is a Grammy-nominated musician who
regular tours the world as a solo recitalist, chamber musician and
concerto soloist. He has recorded more than 30 CDs.
- Nathan Cole (violin) is a member of the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra's first violin section and faculty member at the Chicago
College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.
Mimir concerts will are set for 7:30 p.m. July 9 and 11, 3 p.m. July
12, 7:30 p.m. July 14, 16 and 17. There will be a special performance
at 7 p.m. July 13 in Granbury. Individual tickets are $25, or $15 for
TCU faculty, staff and students with ID.
For a complete schedule and detailed information, go to www.mimirfestival.org