Miriam Fried
An outstanding group of chamber musicians, led by one of the world’s foremost violinists, will perform a special guest artist recital at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Recital Hall of the NIU Music Building.
Admission is free.
The Steans Music Institute at Ravinia, celebrating its 25th anniversary this summer, has been a breeding ground for internationally acclaimed chamber music artists.
A touring ensemble from this program, led by the institute’s distinguished program director Miriam Fried, will make NIU the first stop on its 2013 tour. The program features music of Beethoven, Puccini, Faure and Earl Kim.
Born in Romania and raised in Israel, Fried came to prominence after winning top prizes in the Paganini (1968) and Queen Elizabeth (1971) violin competitions.
She has performed as concerto soloist with most of the world’s leading orchestras, including numerous appearances with the Chicago Symphony, and is well known to chamber music audiences as the first violinist of the Mendelssohn String Quartet.
Fried, who is on the faculty of the New England Conservatory of Music, has a family connection to DeKalb: her husband, violinist Paul Biss, is the son of the late cellist Raya Garbousova, a distinguished former faculty member of the NIU School of Music.
Her collaborators for Thursday’s performance are exceptional young performers from around the world: Alumni of the Steans Music Institute perform internationally with leading orchestras, chamber music ensembles and opera companies.
The four members of the Avalon String Quartet, NIU’s quartet-in-residence, are all alumni of the program and invited the touring ensemble for its third visit to campus (following performances in 2008 and 2011). The Steans Music Institute guest artist recitals consistently are lauded by concertgoers as among the annual highlights of the NIU concert calendar.
“My colleagues and I have such fond feelings for and memories of the Steans Institute, and our time working with Miriam Fried and other prominent faculty,” said Anthony Devroye, violist of the Avalon String Quartet.
“For each of us, Steans was a major step in our development as chamber musicians, and we are proud to host on campus this touring ensemble comprised of the Institute’s finest students,” Devroye added. “Chamber music enthusiasts at NIU and around DeKalb have an extraordinary opportunity to hear a world-class performance in the intimate acoustic of the campus Recital Hall.”
For more information, call (815) 753-7141 or email adevroye@niu.edu.
