Violinist Pinchas Zukerman turns 70 during this year's symphonic season -- his 10th as principal guest conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and his fourth as the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra's artist-in-residence. Five decades into his celebrated career, he'll also perform more than 100 concerts worldwide, many of them with the Zukerman Trio, with whom he'll visit Italy, South America and Japan in addition to U.S. stops that include the Walton Arts Center.
In 2011, Zukerman formed the trio with Amanda Forsyth, principal cellist of the National Arts Centre Orchestra from 1999 to 2015, and pianist Angela Chang, Gold Medalist of the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Masters Competition as well as the first Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Piano Competition.
FAQ
An Evening With
The Zukerman Trio
WHEN — 8 p.m. today
WHERE — Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville
COST — $10-$85
INFO — 443-5600
"It is customary to award five stars for a faultless musical recital," writes Steve Moffatt in Australia's classical music and arts magazine Limelight, "but I wonder whether the rules could be bent in the case of the Zukerman Trio in the latest of the Utzon series at Sydney Opera House. For if any 90 minutes of top-notch chamber music deserved six stars, this must have been it."
The members of the trio answered a few questions via email for What's Up! readers.
Q. What inspires the musicians of the Zukerman Trio to reach out to and encourage students of music?
A. All three of us of the Zukerman Trio are teachers as well as performers, so we often encourage students, whether in our own class at Oberlin, or Manhattan School, or in master classes around the world. Whenever we perform in a different city or country, we try to give a class or a coaching. We love to meet with the young musicians there.
Q. What keeps classical music performed live so popular, even in this age of everything electronic?
A. Classical music is always alive, and the younger generation are realizing this. Humans enjoy all types of music, as it can change the way they feel that very moment, no matter what type they choose to experience.
Q. How in the world do you juggle all your commitments?
A. Our careers revolve around our instruments and our music and to play to the best of our abilities. This is our responsibility, to perform the music, and it will stay alive.
Q. And what do you do to relax when you can?
A. For Amanda it means to not relax, in that she is very energetic, loves to workout, bike ride, weight train and have parties with great friends. For Pinchas, he enjoys the parties that Amanda puts on, and loves to enjoy wonderful red wine from different regions of the world. They seem to have a different family of friends in most cities they perform regularly in. Angela enjoys cooking and practicing piano repertoire, and spending time with her daughters and husband (Alvin Chow, who was the first Fulbright College Visiting Artist in Piano at the University of Arkansas in 1987-88).
NAN What's Up on 09/21/2018