Jennifer Stumm

Jennifer Stumm is a prominent young American concert violist. She is the winner of numerous major competitions and now performs widely in the U.S. and Europe.

Life

Originally from Atlanta, Stumm studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she was one of the last proteges of the viola pedagogue Karen Tuttle. She also pursued interests in astronomy and politics at the University of Pennsylvania, and earned a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School in New York under the supervision of Samuel Rhodes. Stumm now divides her time between activities in the United States and in Europe, where her recent musical mentors have been violist Nobuko Imai and cellist Steven Isserlis whom she met at the International Musicians Seminar in Cornwall, England. She now devotes time to encouraging young musicians through master classes and informative recitals.

Career and competitions

Stumm's impressive list of awards includes successes in many of the world's most prestigious competitions for her instrument-- first prize of the William Primrose Competition, second prize at the International Competition in Geneva and the Vriendenkrans Concours of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam in 2005. In 2006 she became the first solo violist to win first prize of the Concert Artist Guild International Auditions in New York. Her recent performances include her Carnegie Hall recital debut as well as performances at Alice Tully Hall, New York, the Wigmore Hall and St. John's, Smith Square, London and the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam. She has performed "Don Quixote" with conductor Yan-Pascal Tortellier at the Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and the Sage, Gateshead, and the "Bartok Concerto" with the Hamburger Sinfonikern in Berlin and the L'Orchestre du Chambre, Geneva. Upcoming she plays with orchestras in Canada and across the United States. She has appeared in the Rising Stars Series of the Ravinia Festival, Chicago, at the Verbier Festival, Switzerland, and has been heard on BBC Radio 3, NPR, and the Dutch and German national radio networks. She is scheduled to appear in Savannah, Georgia and at the International Viola Congress in Montreal. She will also give recitals in Amsterdam, London, Denver, and Atlanta and, significantly, her Kennedy Center debut in Washington, D.C. For the BBC, she performs in 2008 in Scotland and at the Sage Gateshead's Festival of Russian Music, all for broadcast.

Stumm is an accomplished chamber musician, involved in collaborations and festivals worldwide. Her collaborative partners have included members of the Beaux Arts Trio, Guaneri, Juilliard and Alban Berg Quartets, and the period ensemble L'Archibudelli. She is a member of the London-based Aronowitz Ensemble, resident artists at the Aldeburgh Festival and recently named BBC New Generation Artists. The group will perform at all of the major UK festivals as well as a series of performances at the Wigmore Hall. She participates regularly at the International Musicians Seminar in Cornwall, having performed in that festival's annual tour, and has spent a number of summers at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Other festival appearances include the Kronberg Academy's "Chamber Music Connects the World" with Gidon Kremer, the Aldeburgh Festival, and the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival.

External links

* [http://www.concertartists.org/stumm_bio.htm Concertartists.org webpage on Jennifer Stumm]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121902357.html Washington Post review of Stumm's Kennedy Center debut recital.]
* [http://www.aronowitzensemble.co.uk Aronowitz Ensemble official website]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio3/classical/newgenerations/Aronowitz.shtml BBC webpage on the Aronowitz Ensemble, including Jennifer Stumm]
* [http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,600138712,00.html "Deseret Morning News" story on Jennifer Stumm's victory in viola competition]
* [http://www.wcfcourier.com/articles/2007/05/06/features/lifestyles/d5efa41e480438cf862572d100419ff9.txt "Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier" article on Jennifer Stumm]