Media Release
For immediate
release
November 4, 2005
Barry Shiffman appointed director of music programs at The Banff Centre
Barry Shiffman, co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) and
one of Canada’s pre-eminent musicians, has been appointed director of music
programs by The Banff Centre.
In announcing the appointment, John Murrell, executive artistic director of Performing Arts, noted, “Barry is a perfect example of the sort of arts leader and advocate which The Banff Centre needs, in order to build upon the tradition of excellence already established here, and to propel programming vision into an even more dynamic future.”
Barry Shiffman’s association with The Banff Centre extends over his entire career. Having participated in the Gifted Youth program as a youngster, he returned for summer studies in chamber music and master classes with Lorand Fenyves. As part of the SLSQ, he participated in a summer residency in 1991. Following the quartet’s first prize wins at the 1992 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) and at the Young Concert Artists Competition in New York, Shiffman returned to The Banff Centre as a member of the music faculty on several occasions. He also served on the jury for BISQC 2004, and, a few months later, returned to record the SLSQ’s most recent compact disc, AWAKENING, for EMI Classics in the Rolston Recital Hall.
From his current home in Stanford, California, Shiffman said, “I am overjoyed to be appointed director of music programs. The spirit of support and respect given to artists at the Centre is without equal anywhere I have seen. In my life and that of so many of my colleagues, The Banff Centre has played a profound role in our development. The remarkable tradition and legacy so keenly tied to the efforts of previous directors Isobel and Tom Rolston will be a constant reminder of what can be achieved in support of emerging artists. It is an honour to be offered the responsibility to see that this extraordinary tradition continues, and to oversee the creation of programs and projects that reflect the ever-changing climate in the world of music.”
Raised in Toronto, violinist and violist Barry Shiffman co-founded the St. Lawrence String Quartet in 1989. Canada’s premiere string quartet, the SLSQ has an international following and is recognized as one of the world-class chamber ensembles of its generation. With the SLSQ, Shiffman has performed around the globe and maintained a recording career which garnered numerous awards, including a Juno, a Grammy nomination, and the German critics’ award, the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik. Shiffman is also a sought-after violin and viola teacher and chamber music coach.
A graduate of the University of Toronto, Shiffman continued his studies at the Utrecht Conservatorium in the Netherlands, the Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford, The Juilliard School, and Yale University. As a soloist, Shiffman made his debut with the Toronto Symphony at the age of fifteen and has since appeared in recitals and with orchestras across Canada, as well as in the United States and Europe. In March 2006 he will make his debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Disney Hall.
With the SLSQ, Shiffman has served as project developer and co-ordinator on many high-profile projects, including collaboration with the Pilobolus Dance Theatre in 2003-2004, and the quartet’s two most recent recordings for EMI, as well as overseeing the creation of the SLSQ outreach program at Stanford University, where the group has been the Ensemble-in-Residence since 1998. At Stanford, Shiffman has also taken the lead in the development of several special projects, among them the creation of the Stanford Chamber Strings, a unique “unconducted chamber orchestra”, made up of students, faculty, alumni, and special guests, and a lively exchange program between some leading composers on the faculties of Stanford and the University of Toronto.
Further underscoring Shiffman’s commitment to advancing the field of performance and artistic collaboration, he has been involved in more than 150 premiere performances of works by living composers, both through his involvement with the SLSQ and beyond, including many pieces which he has been active in commissioning.
Upon the news of Shiffman’s appointment, Geoff Nuttall, first violinist for the SLSQ, had the following thoughts: “While one never likes to go through such dramatic change, I can think of no better fit than Barry moving on to our favourite place, The Banff Centre. Barry and I were inspired by our joint experiences at Banff to create the quartet, and the St. Lawrence will undoubtedly return to the Centre for more projects and collaborations. We wish both Barry and The Banff Centre the best in this new partnership.”
Effective immediately, Barry Shiffman will join The Banff Centre as a consultant, providing strategic planning and program development for all music programs, including BISQC. Shiffman will join the Centre on a full-time basis in September 2006.
A downloadable image of Barry Shiffman is available at: http://www.banffcentre.ca/media_room/images/people/default.asp#shiffman
Media Contact
Debra Hornsby
Director of Communications, The Banff Centre
Tel: 403-762-6333
Cell: 403-760-0264
Email:
Barry Shiffman will be available for phone interviews
Monday,
November 7
from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. MST
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