Pianist Lydia Artymiw tapped for distinguished professorship (09/16/01)

Pianist Lydia Artymiw tapped for distinguished professorship

MINNEAPOLIS - Pianist Lydia Artymiw, who joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota in 1989, received the 2001 McKnight Distinguished Professorship, making her the first performing artist at the university to receive the prestigious award. Last year Ms. Artymiw also received the College of Liberal Arts Dean's Medal for outstanding creative and scholarly work.

She was also awarded the 1987 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 1989 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Prize.

The Philadelphia-born pianist has performed in solo recitals throughout the United States, Europe and Asia; as soloist with over 100 major orchestras worldwide, with many of the leading conductors of our time; and as an acclaimed chamber musician in collaboration with internationally renowned artists and quartets. Her seven recordings for the Chandos label have received high critical acclaim.

This summer Ms. Artymiw participated in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont as senior artist. She first attended the world-renowned festival in 1972, at age 17, while studying with Gary Graffman at the Philadelphia Musical Academy (presently the University of the Arts). Rudolf Serkin, legendary pianist and director of Marlboro from its founding in 1950 until his death in 1991, had invited Ms. Artymiw to Marlboro after hearing her audition. Ms. Artymiw returned to Marlboro in 1973 and 1974. In addition, she performed in five national Music from Marlboro chamber music tours throughout the United States in 1973, 1974, 1983 and 1986.

At the invitation of present Marlboro co-directors, Richard Goode and Mitsuko Uchida, Ms. Artymiw returned to Marlboro during the summer of 1998 as a senior artist/participant and again during the summer of 2001.

This summer she rehearsed and performed a number of chamber works with some of the leading young string and wind players from all over the world, as well as vocal repertoire with several outstanding young singers.

It was at Marlboro that Ms. Artymiw first met many of her musical friends and colleagues, including cellists Yo-Yo Ma, Nathaniel Rosen and Sharon Robinson; pianists Murray Perahia and Emanuel Ax; soprano Benita Valente (with whom she has recorded for Centaur and Pantheon); and her husband, musicologist David Grayson, who worked at Marlboro as assistant recording engineer from 1971 through 1976.

Since May Ms. Artymiw's schedule has been very busy, with a performance of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488, with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Nobuyoshi Yasuda in Wisconsin, followed by the Schumann Introduction and Allegro, Op. 92, in Minneapolis with the Minnesota Orchestra conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski in June. She returned for a chamber music program at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass., in August.

This month Ms. Artymiw opens the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's Ensemble Series with two performances of Schubert's "Trout" Quintet. In addition, her 2001-2002 season includes several performances with the newly formed Steinhardt-Artymiw-Eskin Trio - with Arnold Steinhardt, first violinist of the Guarneri Quartet, and Jules Eskin, principal cellist of the Boston Symphony - in St. Paul, Minn., Phoenix, Ariz., and Neskowin, Ore. Ms. Artymiw will also appear with the Guarneri Quartet at The Metropolitan Museum in New York on April 6, 2002.

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