Matt Haimovitz Appointed Professor of Cello
The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities School of Music is thrilled to announce the appointment of Matt Haimovitz as Assistant Professor of Cello. Haimovitz comes to the University of Minnesota from McGill University in Montreal. He continues in his role as the John Cage Fellow Artist-in-Residence at The New School’s Mannes School of Music in New York City. He brings a distinguished performance career that includes multiple GRAMMY nominations and performances with many of the world’s top orchestras and ensembles.
“It’s difficult to imagine a musician more accomplished and creative than Prof. Haimovitz,” says School of Music Director Patrick Warfield. “From the Bach Cello Suites to Jimi Hendrix to new commissions, Matt is the consummate artist. He has placed familiar music in new venues and filled traditional spaces with innovative sounds. He is the ideal voice to enrich the School of Music and the Twin Cities.”
Haimovitz is looking forward to his Twin Cities return, where he remembers his earliest career highlights as a soloist with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. ”I am thrilled to be joining the vibrant cultural community of the University of Minnesota School of Music. With great joy and sense of responsibility, I look forward to continuing to prepare and nurture the next generation of young artists who will rise to the challenges of these times. Anticipating the wonderful new collaborations and friendships, it is an honor to join my colleagues at UMN, a beacon of artistic freedom, innovation, and deep appreciation for the arts.”
Artist Bio
Renowned as a musical pioneer, multi-GRAMMY-nominated cellist MATT HAIMOVITZ is praised by The New York Times as a “ferociously talented cellist who brings his megawatt sound and uncommon expressive gifts to a vast variety of styles” and by The New Yorker as “remarkable virtuoso” who “never turns in a predictable performance.” He brings a fresh ear to familiar repertoire, champions new music, and initiates groundbreaking collaborations, as well as creating innovative recording projects. In addition to his touring schedule, Haimovitz mentors an award-winning studio of young cellists at the Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal and is the first-ever John Cage Fellow at The New School's Mannes School of Music in New York City.
Haimovitz made his debut in 1984, at the age of 13, as soloist with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic. He has gone on to perform on the world’s most esteemed stages, with such orchestras and conductors as the Berlin Philharmonic, the New York Philharmonic with Zubin Mehta, the English Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim, the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Leonard Slatkin, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal with Kent Nagano. His latest endeavor, THE PRIMAVERA PROJECT, encompasses 81 new commissions from a diverse intersection of North American communities and has been featured in the most recent 59th Venice Biennale Arte.
Making his first recording at 17 with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Haimovitz’s recording career encompasses more than 30 years of award-winning work on Deutsche Grammophon (Universal), Oxingale Records, and the PENTATONE Oxingale Series. His honors include the Trailblazer Award from the American Music Center, the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Grand Prix du Disque, and the Premio Internazionale “Accademia Musicale Chigiana.” He studied with Leonard Rose at The Juilliard School and graduated magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard University. Haimovitz plays a Venetian cello, made in 1710 by Matteo Gofriller.
Photo Credit: Brendan Hall
