David Finckel
Encyclopedia
David Finckel is an American cellist and influential figure in the classical music world. He is currently the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet
, co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
, founder and co-Artistic Director of Music@Menlo
, and Visiting Professor of Music at Stony Brook University.
. At the age of 15 he made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra
in Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations as winner of the orchestra's junior competition, and two years later returned to capture the senior division prize and another appearance with the orchestra, playing the Schumann Concerto. At 17, David played for Mstislav Rostropovich
, and soon after became the great cellist's first American pupil. His studies spanned a nine-year period, culminating in a performance of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with the Basel Symphony under Rostropovich's direction. He was the first winner of the New England Conservatory Piatigorsky Artist Award, chosen from an international field for his excellence as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Since 1979, David has been a member of the award-winning Emerson String Quartet
.
David performs and records frequently in collaboration with pianist Wu Han
, whom he married in 1985. Since the 1990s, the two artists have toured widely year-round and have emerged as one of the most popular cello-piano duos on the musical scene today. Notable duo concerts include their performances of the complete Beethoven cycle throughout the world as well as appearing on all the major series in the United States
. David and Wu Han
also often appear in concert with violinist Philip Setzer.
Recent appearances as orchestral soloist include Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Shostakovich’s First Concerto and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
, as well as performances and recordings of the Dvorák Concerto and Augusta Read Thomas
’s Ritual Incantations with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and John Harbison
’s Cello Concerto with the Albany Symphony.
since 1979, David has participated in over thirty acclaimed recordings produced with Deutsche Grammophon
since 1987, nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honor for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards, the coveted Avery Fisher Prize
and cycles of the complete Beethoven, Bartók, Mendelssohn
and Shostakovich string quartets in the world's musical capitals. The Emerson String Quartet took its name from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
. Besides David Finckel on the cello, the Emerson String Quartet
is composed of violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer who alternate in the first chair position and violist Lawrence Dutton
.
launched ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, whose catalogue of thirteen albums has won widespread acclaim. BBC Music magazine saluted the launch by featuring the company’s debut album on the cover of its January 1997 issue. David is a controlling participant in every aspect of the recording process, from selecting the repertoire and recording venue to setting the sound, running the sessions, constructing the edits, and determining the final mix. ArtistLed’s Grammy-award winning recording engineer is Da-Hong Seetoo
.
, an annual chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley
that brings to the San Francisco Bay area a lineup of accomplished musicians, scholars, educators, and musicologists, as well as a roster of gifted young artists, for an immersive three-week chamber music experience in the summer.
David was instrumental in the formation of Music@Menlo
’s innovative live recording series, Music@Menlo LIVE, which commercially releases live recordings from the festival each year. The label was launched in 2004 and has been praised as “probably the most ambitious recording project of any classical music festival in the world” (San Jose Mercury News).
in New York City
, where he currently presents some 200 concerts, lectures, master classes, and outreach events each season. The Chamber Music Society is recognized among the most important leaders in the field of chamber music in North America. In 2010, David was invited to extend his appointment for a second five-year term. Since becoming co-Artistic Director, CMS has expanded its recording and touring initiatives, establishing performance and educational residencies across the United States, Asia and Europe.
. The Institute offers a rigorous professional training ground and a wide array of performance opportunities to gifted young musicians who have been selected from conservatories, youth orchestras, and music programs nationally and internationally.
In 2009, under the auspices of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
, David established a chamber music training workshops for young artists in Korea and Taiwan, intensive residency programs designed to bring student musicians into contact with an elite faculty of artists including pianist Leon Fleisher and violinist Arnold Steinhardt. As Co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David has been instrumental in the expansion of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two program that invites outstanding young musicians from around the world through audition to join the CMS artist roster for an extended residency that includes both performance and educational outreach opportunities. Under his leadership, the residency program has expanded from two to three years, and he greatly increased the level of participation of these young artists.
David has presented master classes at venerable institutions throughout the world, and for many years, taught alongside the late Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. He has also served as a member of the Artist-Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School for many years, and in various educational outreach programs across the country. David also created Cello Talks, an innovative series of videos about every aspect of cello playing. For two decades, with the Emerson String Quartet, David taught at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music.
In 2002, David and the Emerson String Quartet joined the faculty of Stony Brook University where he coaches chamber music, gives master classes, and provides instrumental instruction.
Emerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
, co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. Its website states that it is "the nation’s premier repertory company for chamber music."...
, founder and co-Artistic Director of Music@Menlo
Music@Menlo
Music@Menlo is an annual summer chamber music festival in San Francisco, California. The festival was founded in 2003 by cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han. American Public Media says that "Music@Menlo has rapidly become one of the world's top-tier chamber music festivals due to the quality...
, and Visiting Professor of Music at Stony Brook University.
Career
Born into a family of cellists, David Finckel began his musical studies with his father, Edwin FinckelEdwin Finckel
Edwin A. Finckel was a jazz performer and arranger and a composer of songs and classical music.-Biography:Finckel was born in Washington D.C. as the youngest of six children. His father was a patent attorney and both his parents were musical...
. At the age of 15 he made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
in Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations as winner of the orchestra's junior competition, and two years later returned to capture the senior division prize and another appearance with the orchestra, playing the Schumann Concerto. At 17, David played for Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich, KBE , known to close friends as Slava, was a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He was married to the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya. He is widely considered to have been the greatest cellist of the second half of the 20th century, and one of the greatest of...
, and soon after became the great cellist's first American pupil. His studies spanned a nine-year period, culminating in a performance of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with the Basel Symphony under Rostropovich's direction. He was the first winner of the New England Conservatory Piatigorsky Artist Award, chosen from an international field for his excellence as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Since 1979, David has been a member of the award-winning Emerson String Quartet
Emerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
.
David performs and records frequently in collaboration with pianist Wu Han
Wu Han
Wu Han was a famous Eastern Han Dynasty general who made great contributions to Emperor Guangwu 's reestablishment of the Han Dynasty and who is commonly regarded as Emperor Guangwu's best general, but who was also known for cruelty against civilians.-Biography:Wu Han was initially a deputy to...
, whom he married in 1985. Since the 1990s, the two artists have toured widely year-round and have emerged as one of the most popular cello-piano duos on the musical scene today. Notable duo concerts include their performances of the complete Beethoven cycle throughout the world as well as appearing on all the major series in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. David and Wu Han
Wu Han
Wu Han was a famous Eastern Han Dynasty general who made great contributions to Emperor Guangwu 's reestablishment of the Han Dynasty and who is commonly regarded as Emperor Guangwu's best general, but who was also known for cruelty against civilians.-Biography:Wu Han was initially a deputy to...
also often appear in concert with violinist Philip Setzer.
Recent appearances as orchestral soloist include Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Shostakovich’s First Concerto and the Beethoven Triple Concerto with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra is a 40-member American chamber orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, considered by music critic Jim Svejda as "America's finest chamber orchestra".-History:...
, as well as performances and recordings of the Dvorák Concerto and Augusta Read Thomas
Augusta Read Thomas
Augusta Read Thomas is an American composer.Augusta Read Thomas was born in Glen Cove, New York. She attended The Green Vale School and later moved on to St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, and then studied composition with Jacob Druckman at Yale University and at the Royal Academy of...
’s Ritual Incantations with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and John Harbison
John Harbison
John Harris Harbison is an American composer, best known for his operas and large choral works.-Life:...
’s Cello Concerto with the Albany Symphony.
Emerson String Quartet
A member of the Emerson String QuartetEmerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
since 1979, David has participated in over thirty acclaimed recordings produced with Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon
Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label...
since 1987, nine Grammy Awards (including two for Best Classical Album, an unprecedented honor for a chamber music group), three Gramophone Awards, the coveted Avery Fisher Prize
Avery Fisher Prize
The Avery Fisher Prize is an award given to American musicians for outstanding achievement in classical music. Founded by philanthropist Avery Fisher in 1974, it is regarded as one of the most significant awards for American instrumentalists. The award is decided by members of the Avery Fisher...
and cycles of the complete Beethoven, Bartók, Mendelssohn
Mendelssohn
Mendelson is a Polish/German Jewish family name, meaning "son of Mendel", Mendel being a Yiddish diminutive of the Hebrew given name Menahem, meaning "consoling" or "one who consoles".Mendelssohn is the surname of a number of people:...
and Shostakovich string quartets in the world's musical capitals. The Emerson String Quartet took its name from the American poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century...
. Besides David Finckel on the cello, the Emerson String Quartet
Emerson String Quartet
The Emerson String Quartet is a New York–based string quartet in residence at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Previously the Quartet was in residence at The Hartt School. Formed in 1976, they have released more than twenty albums and won nine Grammy Awards. Both violinists...
is composed of violinists Eugene Drucker and Philip Setzer who alternate in the first chair position and violist Lawrence Dutton
Lawrence Dutton
Lawrence Dutton is an American violist, and is currently a member of the Emerson String Quartet. He earned a Bachelor and Master's degree from the Juilliard School where he studied with Lillian Fuchs....
.
ArtistLed
In addition to his distinction as an accomplished performer, David has established a reputation for his dynamic and innovative approach to the recording studio. In 1997, David Finckel and Wu HanWu Han
Wu Han was a famous Eastern Han Dynasty general who made great contributions to Emperor Guangwu 's reestablishment of the Han Dynasty and who is commonly regarded as Emperor Guangwu's best general, but who was also known for cruelty against civilians.-Biography:Wu Han was initially a deputy to...
launched ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company, whose catalogue of thirteen albums has won widespread acclaim. BBC Music magazine saluted the launch by featuring the company’s debut album on the cover of its January 1997 issue. David is a controlling participant in every aspect of the recording process, from selecting the repertoire and recording venue to setting the sound, running the sessions, constructing the edits, and determining the final mix. ArtistLed’s Grammy-award winning recording engineer is Da-Hong Seetoo
Da-Hong Seetoo
Da-Hong Seetoo is a classical record producer and recording engineer. He has worked with the Emerson String Quartet since the early 1980s and has won several Grammy Awards for his recordings.- Awards :...
.
Music@Menlo
In 2003, David Finckel co-founded Music@MenloMusic@Menlo
Music@Menlo is an annual summer chamber music festival in San Francisco, California. The festival was founded in 2003 by cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han. American Public Media says that "Music@Menlo has rapidly become one of the world's top-tier chamber music festivals due to the quality...
, an annual chamber music festival and institute in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
that brings to the San Francisco Bay area a lineup of accomplished musicians, scholars, educators, and musicologists, as well as a roster of gifted young artists, for an immersive three-week chamber music experience in the summer.
David was instrumental in the formation of Music@Menlo
Music@Menlo
Music@Menlo is an annual summer chamber music festival in San Francisco, California. The festival was founded in 2003 by cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han. American Public Media says that "Music@Menlo has rapidly become one of the world's top-tier chamber music festivals due to the quality...
’s innovative live recording series, Music@Menlo LIVE, which commercially releases live recordings from the festival each year. The label was launched in 2004 and has been praised as “probably the most ambitious recording project of any classical music festival in the world” (San Jose Mercury News).
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
In 2004, David Finckel was appointed co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln CenterThe Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. Its website states that it is "the nation’s premier repertory company for chamber music."...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he currently presents some 200 concerts, lectures, master classes, and outreach events each season. The Chamber Music Society is recognized among the most important leaders in the field of chamber music in North America. In 2010, David was invited to extend his appointment for a second five-year term. Since becoming co-Artistic Director, CMS has expanded its recording and touring initiatives, establishing performance and educational residencies across the United States, Asia and Europe.
Educational Activities
In 2004, David Finckel created the Chamber Music Institute at Music@MenloMusic@Menlo
Music@Menlo is an annual summer chamber music festival in San Francisco, California. The festival was founded in 2003 by cellist David Finckel and pianist Wu Han. American Public Media says that "Music@Menlo has rapidly become one of the world's top-tier chamber music festivals due to the quality...
. The Institute offers a rigorous professional training ground and a wide array of performance opportunities to gifted young musicians who have been selected from conservatories, youth orchestras, and music programs nationally and internationally.
In 2009, under the auspices of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is an American organization dedicated to the performance and promotion of chamber music. Its website states that it is "the nation’s premier repertory company for chamber music."...
, David established a chamber music training workshops for young artists in Korea and Taiwan, intensive residency programs designed to bring student musicians into contact with an elite faculty of artists including pianist Leon Fleisher and violinist Arnold Steinhardt. As Co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David has been instrumental in the expansion of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two program that invites outstanding young musicians from around the world through audition to join the CMS artist roster for an extended residency that includes both performance and educational outreach opportunities. Under his leadership, the residency program has expanded from two to three years, and he greatly increased the level of participation of these young artists.
David has presented master classes at venerable institutions throughout the world, and for many years, taught alongside the late Isaac Stern at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center. He has also served as a member of the Artist-Faculty at the Aspen Music Festival and School for many years, and in various educational outreach programs across the country. David also created Cello Talks, an innovative series of videos about every aspect of cello playing. For two decades, with the Emerson String Quartet, David taught at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School of Music.
In 2002, David and the Emerson String Quartet joined the faculty of Stony Brook University where he coaches chamber music, gives master classes, and provides instrumental instruction.