Giora Schmidt

Giora Schmidt (born January 9, 1983) is an American/Israeli violinist.

Hailed by critics for recalling "...Perlman in his prime" (The Miami Herald), violinist Giora Schmidt is quickly establishing himself as a virtuoso of the grand tradition - with a distinctive sound. His performances are illuminated by a richness of color and effortless technique making Giora one of the most commanding young artists on the stage today.

Biography

Giora Schmidt was born into a family of musicians in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His parents emigrated from Israel in 1978, and are formerly of the Philadelphia Opera Company Orchestra. Michal Schmidt, a cellist and pianist, is on the faculty of Dickinson and Haverford Colleges. Dov Schmidt is a violinist and businessman.

Schmidt began his violin studies at the age of four, [cite news | author=Jesse Hamlin | title=Violinist Schmidt, called a prodigy, hits recital trail |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/01/DD248250.DTL| work=San Francisco Chronicle | date=May 1, 2003 | accessdate=2008-07-18] but did not truly become serious until the age of 14 when he began spending summers at the Perlman Music Program in Shelter Island, NY. There he met maestro Itzhak Perlman; and after two consecutive summers at the camp, Perlman invited Schmidt to study with him full time at the Juilliard Pre-College. Schmidt spent the next two years commuting between Philadelphia and New York, to live and study with his mentor.

At 18, Schmidt began his studies at the Juilliard College Division where he continued his work with Perlman and also with the late violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay.

He has appeared with numerous symphony orchestras, including, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Fort-Worth, New Jersey, San Diego, Long Island, Louisville, Phoenix, Arkansas, El Paso, Columbus (Ohio), Vancouver and the Israel Philharmonic.In 2003, he made his Carnegie Hall debut performing the Barber Violin Concerto with the New York Youth Symphony.

Schmidt has collaborated with such acclaimed musicians as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Yefim Bronfman, Lynn Harrell, Anne Sofie von Otter, Ralph Kirshbaum and Michael Tree.

When Schmidt is not performing, he is on the faculty of Juilliard School and the Perlman Music Program.

Honors

*2005: Classical Recording Foundation's Samuel Sanders Award, presented to him by Itzhak Perlman at Carnegie Hall.
*2003: Avery Fisher Career Grant
*2001: First Prize in the Concerto Competition at the Music Academy of the West
*2000: First Prize in the Philadelphia Orchestra Greenfield Competition

Quotes

Miami Herald, Lawrence A. Johnson

"... [with] an acutely focused, gleaming sound that recalls Perlman in his prime. Schmidt also possesses a daunting technical arsenal and sailed through the bravura passages of the outer movements with remarkably even articulation at a rapid tempo, without breaking a sweat." [cite news | author=Lawrence A. Johnson | title= Young violinist on the first string |url=http://www.miamiherald.com/234/story/418220.html | work=Miami Herald | date=February 13, 2008 | accessdate= 2008-07-18]

Newsday, Peter Goodman

"...Schmidt held the audience rapt. There was not a cough or rustle to be heard.There were many moments like that in the performance. At times Schmidt made this most familiar of concerti sound fresh, almost improvisatory, as if the music had never been heard before." [cite news | author=Peter Goodman | title= Perlman protégé infuses Beethoven with new elan |url=http://www.colbertartists.com/Reviews/Schmidt112006.pdf | work=Newsday | date=November 20, 2006 | accessdate= 2008-07-18 From Colbert Artists Management]

Detroit Free Press, Mark Stryker

"... Schmidt played with a secure technique, temperament, an ear for the music's lyrical core and a dark-roasted tone that easily filled Orchestra Hall. ... He caressed the Andante with a full-bodied passion, confidence and slides that winked, perhaps, at [Perlman's] style. The Moto Perpetuo finale went out in a blaze of glory leaving no doubt that Schmidt's got major-league chops." [Mark Stryker (November 19, 2004). "Detroit Free Press". From gioraschmidt.com]

Naples Daily News, Peg Goldberg Longstreth

"...The very emotionality and physicality of his performance, virtually always moving, almost dancing, at times nearly transforming himself into a whirling dervish, is glorious to watch..." [cite news | author=Peg Goldberg Longstreth | title= A perfect ending to a classical series |url=http://naplesdailynews.com/news/2008/may/02/perfect-ending-classical-series/ | work=Naples Daily News | date=May 2, 2008 | accessdate= 2008-07-18]

San Francisco Classical Voice, Heuwell Tircuit

" ... The virtuoso Brahms Sonata was a thrill in all respects: stylish, passionate, technically on the mark and utterly convincing. The same came along with the two Sarasate pieces ... sauced with a pinch of Spanish spice that was perfect. These were confirmation of Schmidt's musicianship and prospects at full sail, music making in the grand tradition. This could be a major career, and deserves careful nurturing." [Heuwell Tircuit (May 6, 2003). [http://www.sfcv.org "San Francisco Classical Voice"] ]

Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Matthew Erikson

"Giora Schmidt, 23, was the soloist in the Bruch concerto, though his thick, vibrato-rich sound and sure self-possession suggested a player at least a generation older. Schmidt got to the rhapsodic soul of the music with a colorful sense of inflection and virtuosic flair." [cite news | author=Matthew Erikson | title= Pop goes the violin |url=http://www.colbertartists.com/Reviews/Schmidt102006.pdf | work=Forth Worth Star-Telegram | date=October 7, 2006 | accessdate= 2008-07-18 From Colbert Artists Management]

ReviewVancouver.org, J.H. Stape

"Giora Schmidt offered a stunning silky tone, technical wizardry, and immensely stylish playing, the sparks flying in the "Allegro energico" finale, which had soloist and orchestra playing on steroids." [cite news | author=J.H. Stape | title= Bruch concerto with Vancouver Symphony |url= http://reviewvancouver.org/sy_giora_schmidt07.htm | work=ReviewVancouver.org | date=December 2, 2007 | accessdate= 2008-07-18]

MusicalAmerica.com, Patrick J. Smith

" ...Violinist Giora Schmidt, performed an extraordinary transcription of Schubert's "Erl King" by Heinrich Wilhelm Ernst. Here was the poem itself brought to complete aural life through the manipulation of the four violin strings alone -- we heard the voices and felt the horror. Here, virtuosity met genuine emotion." [Patrick J. Smith (August 15, 2006). [http://www.musicalamerica.com "Musical America"] ]

Recordings

References

External links

* [http://www.gioraschmidt.com/ Official Website]

* [http://www.colbertartists.com/ArtistBio.asp?ID=14 General Management]

* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/05/01/DD248250.DTL San Francisco Chronicle Interview]

* [http://www.roanoke.com/entertainment/insideout/music/wb/xp-36990 Roanoke Times Interview]

* [http://www.perlmanmusicprogram.org/about-pmp/faculty/giora-schmidt/ The Perlman Music Program]

* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5230756046570056060&q=Giora+Schmidt&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0 Barber Concerto 1st movement on YouTube]

* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4996324729321357761&q=Giora+Schmidt&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3 Barber Concerto 2nd movement on YouTube]

* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6343571179784708006&q=Giora+Schmidt&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=2 Barber Concerto 3rd movement on YouTube]

* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7446518114786825213&q=Giora+Schmidt&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1 Kreisler Recitative and Scherzo on YouTube]