The 92nd Street Y at the Kaufmann Concert Hall To Present Violinist Gil Shaham and Pianist Akira Eguchi

The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York's leading cultural venues, presents Gil Shaham, violin with Akira Eguchi, piano on Friday, November 17, 2023 at 7:30 pm at the Kaufmann Concert Hall.

In concert with his frequent collaborator, pianist Akira Eguchi, Shaham performs an exquisite violin masterwork in Faure's A-Major Sonata and a contemporary work that has become a hallmark of his repertoire, Avner Dorman's "Nigunim." Commissioned by 92NY and premiered on our stage by Shaham in 2011, "Nigunim" has become one of the violinist's signature works. "Everyone who hears the piece falls in love with it - they're electrified by it," he says. Also on the program: a Mozart rondo and three short solo violin works written for Shaham in this must-see concert for violin music lovers.

Leclair, Sonata in D Major Op. 9, No. 3

Mozart, Rondo in C Major, K. 373

Avner Dorman, Nigunim (Violin Sonata No. 3)

Scott Wheeler, Isolation Rag

Max Raimi, Violin Etude: Anger Management

Reena Esmail, When the Violin

Fauré, Sonata in A Major No. 1, Op. 13

Gil Shaham is one of the foremost violinists of our time; his flawless technique combined with his inimitable warmth and generosity of spirit has solidified his renown as an American master. He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with leading orchestras and conductors, and regularly gives recitals and appears with ensembles on the world's great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.

Highlights of recent years include the acclaimed recording and performances of J.S. Bach's complete sonatas and partitas for solo violin. In addition to championing these solo works, he frequently joins his long-time duo partner pianist, Akira Eguchi in recitals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Appearances with orchestra regularly include the Berlin Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Israel Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre de Paris, and San Francisco Symphony as well as multi-year residencies with the Orchestras of Montreal, Stuttgart and Singapore. With orchestra, Mr. Shaham continues his exploration of "Violin Concertos of the 1930s," including the works of Barber, Bartok, Berg, Korngold, Prokofiev, among many others.

Mr. Shaham has more than two dozen concerto and solo CDs to his name, earning multiple GRAMMYs, a Grand Prix du Disque, Diapason d'Or, and Gramophone Editor's Choice. Many of these recordings appear on Canary Classics, the label he founded in 2004. His 2016 recording 1930s Violin Concertos Vol. 2 as well as his 2021 recording of Beethoven and Brahms Concertos with The Knights were nominated for GRAMMY awards.

Mr. Shaham was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1971. He moved with his parents to Israel, where he began violin studies with Samuel Bernstein of the Rubin Academy of Music at the age of 7, receiving annual scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 1981, he made debuts with the Jerusalem Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic, and the following year, took the first prize in Israel's Claremont Competition. He then became a scholarship student at Juilliard, and also studied at Columbia University.

Gil Shaham was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1990, and in 2008 he received the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. In 2012, he was named "Instrumentalist of the Year" by Musical America. He plays the 1699 "Countess Polignac" Stradivarius and performs on an Antonio Stradivari violin, Cremona c1719, with the assistance of Rare Violins In Consortium, Artists and Benefactors Collaborative. He lives in New York City with his wife, violinist Adele Anthony, and their three children.

Since making his highly acclaimed New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1992, Akira Eguchi has performed in the foremost music centers of the United States, Europe, and Asia. His appearances in the United States include Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, The 92nd Street Y, New York and the Kennedy Center. Mr. Eguchi has also performed at Musikverein in Vienna, Barbican Centre in London, Theatre des Champs-Elysees in Paris, Herkulessaal in Munich, Tonhalle in Zurich, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Distinguished for his performances for heads of state, Mr. Eguchi has played for President Clinton presented by Isaac Stern at the White House, and for the Emperor and Empress of Japan at Hamarikyu Ashahi Hall in Tokyo.

He has performed in recital and in collaboration with renowned ensembles throughout the United States, France, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Italy, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Korea, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan. He is also known as a collaborative pianist for violinists Gil Shaham, Anne Akiko Meyers, Akiko Suwanai, Kyoko Takezawa, Tamaki Kawakubo, and Reiko Watanabe, among others.

Eguchi has participated in 45 recordings on Deutsche Grammophon, Philips, Denon, Marquis Classics, Victor, IDC, BMG, Kosei publishing, Canary/Vanguard, AVEX, Octavia, and NYS Classics. Many of his 11 solo albums were selected as the "best new release of the month" in Recording Arts Magazine. He is privileged to play the legendary instrument, New York Steinway model CD75 (1912), which Maestro Horowitz played at his concerts in the late 70s until 1983, currently owned by Takagi Klavier of Tokyo.

An active composer, Eguchi's arrangements of Gershwin Piano Selections were published by Zen-On publishing company and the piano trio version of Faure's Après un rêve was published by International Music Company.

Born in Tokyo in 1963, Mr. Eguchi received his Bachelor's Degree in Composition from Tokyo National University of the Fine Arts and Music, renamed Tokyo University of the Arts, and his Master's Degree in Piano Performance from The Juilliard School. He has studied piano with Herbert Stessin, Samuel Sanders, Hitoshi Toyama, and Akiko Kanazawa, and composition with Shin Sato, Akira Kitamura, and Ichiro Mononobe.

Akira Eguchi lives in New York and Tokyo, serving as an Associate Professor at Tokyo University of the Arts. He also teaches at Senzoku-Gakuen Music College in Japan as a guest professor. He was previously on the faculty at CUNY Brooklyn College.

Working within 92NY's 150th Anniversary theme, Inspired by the Past, Transforming for the Future, 92NY's Vice President, Tisch Music's Amy Lam has curated a season featuring newly commissioned works and premieres and artist-driven programs that reference the history of 92NY, the artists themselves, and music more broadly. Some of the featured works at 92NY include the world premiere of a new, interdisciplinary project by Cécile McLorin Salvant, in which Salvant mines her classical music training to transform Baroque songs through a jazz-focused lens, the New York premiere of Damien Geter's COTTON, which explores an African American narrative of past and present performed by Denyce Graves and Justin Austin, and a new program from Broadway legend Audra McDonald, who takes the stage with a program inspired by her Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning 30-year career.

Building on the theme of transformation, 11 of this season's 42 concerts will be presented in 92NY's newly renovated and creatively flexible Buttenwieser Hall at The Arnhold Center. In its Buttenwieser Hall programs, Tisch Music will continue to expand on-site audience engagement in new and exciting ways. As it continues to build its global audience (having secured approximately 5 million views from 200 countries and all 50 states for its original programming across the institution last year), 92NY will maintain its commitment to making its offerings available globally, with more than 20 events available for streaming and on-demand viewing.

The 2023/24 Tisch Music Season builds on the recent success of its Midsummer MusicFest, launched this year in celebration of 92NY's 150th Anniversary. Consistent with 92NY's anniversary theme, the annual Festival will look back on 92NY's musical history, with 2023's festival inspired by 92NY's role in bringing jazz from small clubs to a concert hall setting. The Season also continues the evolution of Tisch Music's flagship Lyrics & Lyricists series, doubling the American Songbook offerings and focusing on the genre as defined, not only by Broadway, but in the many genres of American music found across the country.

Highlights of the 2023/24 Tisch Music Season include:

• Joshua Redman Group release concert of where are we featuring Gabrielle Cavassa
• NY premieres of new work by Tyshawn Sorey and COTTON by composer Damien Geter
• New York concert debuts of the Isidore String Quartet and pianist Tony Siqi Yun
• Pianist Conrad Tao returns to 92NY as part of the global celebration of Rachmaninoff at 150
• Ongoing partnerships continue with concerts from the Curtis Institute of Music, the New York Philharmonic, and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra with special guest artists
• Art of the Guitar Series with Beijing Guitar Duo, David Russell and Manuel Barrueco
• 2023/24 Lyrics & Lyricists series celebrating Howard Ashman, Laura Nyro, Stevie Wonder, andSheldon Harnick in a special event led by Ted Sperling honoring the legacy of three-time Tony Award winner and Broadway legend, Jason Robert Brown, featuring a one-night-only appearance.
• Expanded American Songbook offerings including exclusive concerts by Audra McDonald, Joshua Henry and Stephanie J. Block

Online streaming is also available for 72 hours following the performance. Tickets start at $25 and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/gil-shaham.

For more information, please visit 92NY.org/Concerts.

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