Editors' Note: Joshua Bell will be available for interviews prior to his lecture. Please call SU News Services to schedule an appointment. Information about the University Lectures can be found at http://provost.syr.edu/lectures/future.asp.
Grammy?Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell will present an evening of music and conversation with Syracuse Symphony Music Director Daniel Hege on Monday, March 3 as part of the University Lectures series. This unique performance will take place in Hendricks Chapel beginning at 6:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.
Bell has been captivating audiences around the globe for more than 20 years. Known for his poetic musicality, he first came to national attention at age 14 when he made his highly acclaimed orchestral debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Now in his thirties, Bell has performed with nearly every leading symphony orchestra and conductor, recorded 26 albums and has earned the rare title of classical music superstar.
Bell received his first violin at age four after his parents, both psychologists by profession, noticed him plucking tunes with rubber bands he had stretched around the handles of his dresser drawers. By 12, he was serious about the instrument thanks in large part to the inspiration of renowned violinist and pedagogue Josef Gingold, who had become his beloved teacher and mentor.
Equally at home as a soloist, chamber musician, and now conductor, Joshua Bell's career is exceptionally varied.
At the age of 18, Bell signed his first recording contract with London/Decca for whom he went on to record much of the classical violin repertoire. Searching to expand his musical horizons, he joined Sony Classical in 1996, a relationship that has yielded a diverse collection of albums.
He enjoys chamber music collaborations with artists such as Pamela Frank, Steven Isserlis, Edgar Meyer and Yefim Bronfman as well as occasional collaborations with artists outside the classical arena including Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea and James Taylor.
Bell has appeared on many programs over the years, including "The Tonight Show," "Nightline," "Charlie Rose," "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," "CBS This Morning," A&E's "Biography," and the PBS programs "Evening at Pops" and "Live from Lincoln Center". He was one of the first classical musicians to be the focus of a music video, which has been broadcast on the VH1, A&E and Bravo television networks.
Bell holds an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. In 1998, he began teaching a series of master classes at London's Royal Academy of Music and he has served as adjunct professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, helping to develop a new generation of high tech instruments and toys.
About Daniel Hege
Soon to begin his fourth season as music director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, Daniel Hege is widely recognized as one of America's finest young conductors, earning critical acclaim for his fresh interpretations of the standard repertoire and for his commitment to creative programming.
After a nationwide search, Hege was named music director of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in April 1999. His previous positions include music director of the Haddonfield Symphony (New Jersey), associate conductor of the Kansas City Symphony, music director of the Encore Chamber Orchestra in Chicago and music director of the Chicago Youth Symphony, where he was twice honored by the American Symphony Orchestra League for innovative programming. In June 2001, he finished a five-year tenure with the Baltimore Symphony where he held the titles of assistant, associate and resident conductor and led the orchestra in subscription, family and run-out concerts.
The University Lectures
The University Lectures is a cross-disciplinary lecture series that brings to the University individuals of exceptional accomplishment in the areas of architecture and design; the humanities and the sciences; and public policy, management and communications. The series is supported by the generosity of the University's Trustees, alumni and friends.
