Music Academy of the West appoints NY Phil’s Glenn Dicterow to faculty
Violinist Glenn Dicterow, the longest-serving concertmaster in the history of the New York Philharmonic, will join the celebrated string faculty at the Music Academy of the West for the Academy’s 2014 Summer School and Festival, campus officials have announced. Dicterow, who participated in the last two Music Academy Summer Festivals, will return as a visiting artist in 2013 before assuming a formal faculty position next year. His duties then will encompass individual teaching for Music Academy Fellows, chamber ensemble coaching, performing as part of the faculty chamber series, and developing a String Leadership Studies Program for promising concertmasters and section principals.
“I am very excited at the prospect of having an artist of Glenn’s stature and accomplishment augment our already robust faculty,” said Music Academy of the West President Scott Reed. “His appointment is a clear indication that our program continues to evolve in impressive ways. Glenn represents music at the highest level and I know he will make a tremendous impact on our Fellows.”
“I couldn’t be happier about my appointment to one of the finest summer music festivals in the world,” said Dicterow. “Making music with my superb Academy colleagues and teaching such gifted young students in this spectacular environment is nothing less than exhilarating.”
Last May it was announced that Dicterow would step down as concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic following the 2013-14 season, though he plans to continue performing as a soloist and chamber musician. A faculty member at both the Juilliard School and Manhattan School of Music, he will become the first to hold the Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music at USC Thornton School of Music beginning in fall 2013.
Dicterow is a second-generation violinist who grew up in Los Angeles. His father, Harold Dicterow, served as principal of the second violin section in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 52 years. The younger Dicterow’s musical gifts became apparent at age 11 when he made his solo debut with the orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Over the following years, he became one of the most sought-after young artists, appearing as a soloist from coast to coast.
The winner of numerous awards and competitions, including the bronze medal in the 1970 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Dicterow is a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Ivan Galamian. Another one of his teachers was the legendary Jascha Heifetz. In 1967, at age 18, Dicterow performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under Andre Kostelanetz. Thirteen years later he joined the orchestra as concertmaster, after serving as associate concertmaster and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. His solo appearances on tour with the New York Philharmonic have involved performances in South America, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Manila, France, Switzerland, Germany, and England. The New York Times has lauded his “admirable elegance and utter fearlessness.”
Dicterow, who frequently appears as a guest soloist with other orchestras, has made numerous recordings. His most recent CD is a solo recital for Cala Records titled New York Legends. It offers John Corigliano’s Sonata for violin and piano; Korngold’s Much Ado About Nothing; the premiere recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Sonata for violin and piano; and Martinu’s Three Madrigals for violin and viola, in collaboration with violist Karen Dreyfus and pianist Gerald Robbins. Dicterow can also be heard in film score recordings for The Turning Point, The Untouchables, Altered States, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and Interview with the Vampire, among others.
Dicterow took part in the Music Academy of the West’s 1992 Summer Festival, and helped inaugurate the Academy’s Mosher Guest Artist Residency Program in 2011 before returning as a visiting artist last summer.
The Music Academy’s string faculty currently consists of violinists Peter Salaff and Kathleen Winkler; violists Donald McInnes and Roger Myers; cellists Alan Stepansky and David Geber; and double bassist Nico Abondolo. Guest artists in 2013 will include violinists Midori, Jorja Fleezanis, Erin Keefe, Brian Lewis, and Kay Stern; violists Karen Dreyfus and Cynthia Phelps; and the Takács Quartet.
The Music Academy of the West’s 66th anniversary Summer School and Festival will take place June 17 to August 10. Among the highlights will be a fully staged production of The Magic Flute – Santa Barbara’s first in 15 years – and conducting turns by James Gaffigan, Leonard Slatkin, Nicholas McGegan, Matthias Pintscher, Bernard Labadie, Tito Muñoz, and Larry Rachleff. Showcasing the Academy’s exceptionally talented Fellows, together with illustrious guest performers and faculty, the events will be presented at the Academy’s scenic Miraflores campus and in venues throughout Santa Barbara.
Founded in 1947, the Music Academy of the West is among the nation’s preeminent summer schools and festivals for gifted young classical musicians. The Academy provides these promising musicians with the opportunity for advanced study and frequent performance under the guidance of world-class faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. Admission to the Academy is strictly merit based, and Fellows receive full scholarships (tuition, room, and board). Academy alumni are members of major symphony orchestras, chamber orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and university and conservatory faculties throughout the world. Many enjoy careers as prominent solo artists. Based in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West presents more than 200 public events annually, comprising performances by faculty, visiting artists, and Fellows; master classes; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and fully staged opera. The Music Academy began broadcasting live simulcasts by the legendary Metropolitan Opera at Hahn Hall in October 2008. For more information, visit www.musicacademy.org.