Ilkka Talvi
Encyclopedia
Ilkka Talvi is a Finnish
violin
ist and author of the blog
Of Music and Men.
, at the Sibelius Academy
. After winning the Scandinavian Young Artist Competition, Talvi furthered his studies in Paris
, Vienna
and the United States
. His teachers included Gabriel Bouillon, Ricardo Odnoposoff, Ivan Galamian
at the Curtis Institute and the eminent violinist Jascha Heifetz
at University of Southern California
.
and in the U.S. He was on the faculty of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Conservatory of Music in Pori, Finland
. Before emigrating to the U.S. he was concertmaster of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra
in Sweden
. For several years Talvi worked for the famous Bach
expert Helmuth Rilling
both in Eugene, Oregon
, and in Stuttgart
, Germany
.
In 1984, Talvi left his position as principal second violin of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
to become concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony
(under its new music director Gerard Schwarz
) and Seattle Opera
, a position he held for 20 years. He was also concertmaster of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. During his tenure as concertmaster for Seattle Symphony
, Talvi premiered and recorded concertos by David Diamond
and Stephen Albert
, as well as Paul Creston
’s “Partita” and Richard Strauss*’ “Ein Heldenleben”, and other orchestral works. Talvi also recorded the Klami violin concerto on Finlandia label. Although Talvi’s personal contract stated that he would be concertmaster for the duration of Schwarz' music director post, in 2004 the Seattle Symphony did not renew Talvi’s contract. Despite setbacks including court ordered arbitration and personal attacks on key figures posted on Talvi's blog, which were retracted under threat of libel, the case was resolved through mediation.
Talvi currently serves as concertmaster for Rainier Symphony, and is affiliated with the Seattle Pacific University
as violin instructor.
. His daughter Silva J.A. Talvi is a freelance journalist
and Senior Editor for In These Times
magazine.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and author of the blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
Of Music and Men.
Education
Initially self-taught, Talvi later studied with Arno Granroth, a pupil of Jacques ThibaudJacques Thibaud
Jacques Thibaud was a French violinist.Thibaud was born in Bordeaux and studied the violin with his father before entering the Paris Conservatoire at the age of thirteen. In 1896 he jointly won the conservatory's violin prize with Pierre Monteux...
, at the Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
. After winning the Scandinavian Young Artist Competition, Talvi furthered his studies in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His teachers included Gabriel Bouillon, Ricardo Odnoposoff, Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
at the Curtis Institute and the eminent violinist Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz
Jascha Heifetz was a violinist, born in Vilnius, then Russian Empire, now Lithuania. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest violinists of all time.- Early life :...
at University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Performance career
As a recitalist and soloist, Talvi performed extensively in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and in the U.S. He was on the faculty of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki and the Conservatory of Music in Pori, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Before emigrating to the U.S. he was concertmaster of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra
Malmö Symphony Orchestra
The Malmö Symphony Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra, based in Malmö. Since 1985, the orchestra has given its main concert series in the Konserthuset, Malmö. The orchestra has a current complement of 94 musicians...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. For several years Talvi worked for the famous Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
expert Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling
Helmuth Rilling is an internationally known German choral conductor, founder of the Gächinger Kantorei , the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart , the Oregon Bach Festival , the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart and other Bach Academies worldwide, and the "Festival Ensemble Stuttgart"...
both in Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
, and in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
In 1984, Talvi left his position as principal second violin of 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:...
to become concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
(under its new music director Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz is an American conductor. He was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011.In 2007 Schwarz was named music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, having served as principal conductor since 2005...
) and Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often...
, a position he held for 20 years. He was also concertmaster of the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center. During his tenure as concertmaster for Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
, Talvi premiered and recorded concertos by David Diamond
David Diamond
David Diamond is the name of:* David Diamond , American composer* David Diamond * David Diamond , American screenwriter* David Diamond, frontman and songwriter with Canadian band The Kings...
and Stephen Albert
Stephen Albert
Stephen Albert was an American composer.-Biography:Born in New York City, Albert began his musical training on the piano, French horn, and trumpet as a youngster. He first studied composition at the age of 15 with Elie Siegmeister, and enrolled two years later at the Eastman School of Music, where...
, as well as Paul Creston
Paul Creston
Paul Creston was an Italian American composer of classical music.Born in New York City to Sicilian immigrants, Creston was self‐taught as a composer. He was an honorary member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, initiated into the national honorary Alpha Alpha chapter...
’s “Partita” and Richard Strauss*’ “Ein Heldenleben”, and other orchestral works. Talvi also recorded the Klami violin concerto on Finlandia label. Although Talvi’s personal contract stated that he would be concertmaster for the duration of Schwarz' music director post, in 2004 the Seattle Symphony did not renew Talvi’s contract. Despite setbacks including court ordered arbitration and personal attacks on key figures posted on Talvi's blog, which were retracted under threat of libel, the case was resolved through mediation.
Talvi currently serves as concertmaster for Rainier Symphony, and is affiliated with the Seattle Pacific University
Seattle Pacific University
Seattle Pacific University is a Christian university of the liberal arts, sciences and professions, located on the north slope of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle, Washington, USA. It was founded in 1891 by the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary...
as violin instructor.
Personal life
Talvi lives in Washington and runs the Talvi Violin Studio along with his wife Marjorie Kransberg-Talvi, a former concertmaster for the Pacific Northwest BalletPacific Northwest Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington in the United States. Founded in 1972 as part of the Seattle Opera and named the Pacific Northwest Dance Association, it broke away from the Opera in 1977 and took its current name in 1978. It is said to have the highest per...
. His daughter Silva J.A. Talvi is a freelance journalist
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
and Senior Editor for In These Times
In These Times
In These Times is a politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published by the Institute for Public Affairs in Chicago...
magazine.