On November 3, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. violinist Gabriel Bolkosky along with his accompanist Michelle Cooker will perform at the Canyon Community Center in Springdale, Utah. Citizens of Zion Canyon and visitors to the area are invited to attend.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Gabriel began his violin studies at age three. His primary mentors were Michael Avsharian of Ann Arbor, Paul Kantor at University of Michigan, and Donald Weilerstein at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Gabe earned a Bachelors of Music, a Masters in Jazz Improvisation, and a Masters in Chamber Music from U of M. At the Cleveland Institute he earned a Professional Studies degree, served a year as Wellerstein’s teaching assistant and won the Darius Milhaud prize. He attended the Aspen Music Festival/Institute from 1991–98 on fellowship, first playing with the Aspen Chamber Symphony and then the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble for four years. During those four years he premiered hundreds of new works, and with his group, Non Sequitur, conducted workshops and concerts for thousands of students in the Aspen valley.
As a recitalist, Gabe has appeared across the United States and abroad. He performs a diverse repertoire of classical and contemporary works with different collaborative artists from many genres of music making. Recently he performed in the premiere of Rzewski’s “Natural Things” for Carnegie Hall’s Making Music Series. He has also collaborated with other composers, among them William Bolcom, John Harbison, George Tsontakis, Derek Bermel, and Bernard Rands.
Gabe has released six CDs that show his breadth as a musician. His debut solo album, This and That, features classical and jazz music. Other albums include The Shape of Klez to Come with the klezmer group Into the Freylakh; The Orchestra Is Here to Play, a live recording teaming the Gemini children’s-music group with a full orchestra; The Oblivion Project Live, showcasing the music of Astor Piazzolla; Non Sequitur, contemporary and experimental music, including one of his own compositions; Home from Work, an eclectic mix of jazz, folk and blues in collaboration with San Slomovits; and as sideman on John Lindberg’s recording Two by Five.
Gabe teaches violin at the University of Michigan. He is the executive director of The Phoenix Ensemble , a nonprofit organization dedicated to being a musical resource for artists and educational institutions. Gabe also directs PhoenixPhest! and PhoenixPhest! Grande, two amateur chamber music festivals held each May and August, and maintains a private violin studio.
Gallery of Performance
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Support for this event provided by the Western States Arts Federation. |