Lynn Vartan

Last updated
Lynn Vartan
BornFresno, California, U.S.
OriginUnited States
GenresClassical
Occupation(s)Percussionist, Music educator
InstrumentMarimba
LabelsECM New Series, Albany Records, Cuneiform Records, Bridge Records, New World Records, Lian Records, Yarlung Records, Cambria
Member ofSouthwest Chamber Music
Duo 61/4, Exacta

Lynn Vartan is an American percussionist. [1] She began performing as a child in Fresno, California. Her principal instrument is the marimba.

Contents

Collaborations

Vartan has worked with Michael Colgrass, Vinny Golia, Arthur Jarvinen, [2] Ursula Oppens, Joan Tower, [3] Glen Velez, [4] Xtet, James Newton, [5] Chinary Ung, [6] the Hilliard Ensemble, [7] the Tambuco Percussion Ensemble [8] and Grammy award-winning Southwest Chamber Music. [9] She has commissioned and/or performed countless new works for percussion by composers such as Donald Crockett, William Kraft, [10] Steve Hoey, Veronika Krausas, Erica Muhl, [11] Sean Heim, Jeff Holmes, Keith Bradshaw [12] and Shaun Naidoo.

Solo performances

As a recital soloist, Vartan has been featured on the Los Angeles Philharmonic Green Umbrella Series, [13] the Different Trains Series, at universities in residence all over the United States and on the Music at the Court series in Pasadena, California, where she produced her own solo percussion concerts. As a concerto soloist, Vartan has performed with various orchestras including the Hubei Opera and Dance Company [14] of Wuhan, China, the Sierra Wind Symphony, the Helena Symphony Orchestra, [15] the Orchestra of Southern Utah, Southwest Chamber Music, [16] as well as premiering new concertos by both American and Chinese composers.

International projects

Vartan has participated in cultural exchange projects such as the “Ascending Dragon” Project in Vietnam, [17] "The Dream of Helen" project [18] in China and the “East Meets West” project designed around her as a soloist in Wuhan, China in 2014. In June 2020, Vartan was featured in the Visual Collaborative electronic catalog, under the Eta Carinae series, where she was interviewed alongside other artists from around the world. [19]

Recordings

As a recording artist, Vartan has appeared on the ECM New Series, Albany Records, Cuneiform Records, [20] Bridge Records, New World Records, Lian Records, [21] Yarlung Records [22] and Cambria. [23]

Awards and sponsorships

Lynn was nominated three times for a Grammy with the Southwest Chamber Music for “Best Classical Album of the Year” and "Best Small Ensemble with or without a conductor" for Chávez: Complete Chamber Music, Vol. 3. [24] and for the “Latin Classical Album of the Year” [25] for William Kraft’s Complete Encounters Series. Lynn is endorsed by the Paiste Corporation, Remo Inc. and Marimba One.

Other work

Vartan is the percussionist for Southwest Chamber Music, the violin/percussion Duo 61/4 which she founded with Shalini Vijayan, and a duo percussion group Exacta that she formed with Tambuco’s Miguel Gonzalez. As of 2015, she is currently the Director of Percussion at Southern Utah University. [26]

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References

  1. ↑ Zaneta Sykes (Winter 2012). "Fabulous female percussionists you should know". Tom Tom Magazine. No. 12: The Orchestral Issue. p. 19. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  2. ↑ Woodard, Josef (2001-09-10). "Night of Whimsy, Wit From Jarvinen". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  3. ↑ Cariaga, Daniel (2000-10-06). "Thornton Ensemble Opens Its Season on a Hot Note". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  4. ↑ 'West Goes East - CalArts at the Kitchen Spotlights the Legacy of The California Institute of the Arts', PR Newswire
  5. ↑ "James Newton Sacred Works". New World Records. 2011.
  6. ↑ "Music of Chinary Ung, Vol. 3". Bridge Records. 9368. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  7. ↑ Raymond Tuttle (2004). "Stephen Hartke - Tituli, Cathedral in the Thrashing Rain". Classical Net (review). Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  8. ↑ Riggott, Julie (2008). "Classical Crescendo". Los Angeles Downtown News. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  9. ↑ "(mostly ads)". Los Angeles Magazine. Vol. 50, no. 11. November 2005. p. 290. ISSN   1522-9149.
  10. ↑ Mark Swed (2008-03-19). "Kraft's 'Encounters' with percussion art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  11. ↑ "Erica Muhl: Range of Light". Albany Records. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  12. ↑ "Legends Never Die". The Orchestra of Southern Utah. 2013. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  13. ↑ "About the performer: Lynn Vartan". Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. 2015. Archived from the original on 17 September 2015.
  14. ↑ "Biography". Lynn Vartan. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  15. ↑ Marga Lincoln (24 January 2013). "Symphony's guest percussionist does more than just bang a drum" . Helena Independent Record. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  16. ↑ Zach Behrens (14 October 2007). "Classical Picks of the Week: The California EAR Unit & Southwest Chamber Music". LAist. Archived from the original on 2017-11-05. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  17. ↑ Tran, My-Thuan (2010-02-14). "American musicians bond with Vietnamese counterparts". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  18. ↑ Sarah Webber (21 April 2011). "Production builds bridge between China,". SUU News. Archived from the original on 2012-07-27. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  19. ↑ "Lynn Vartan in Eta Carinae interview series" (interview). Visual Collaborative. September 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  20. ↑ John Sharpe (2012-07-08). "Wadada Leo Smith: Wadada Leo Smith: Ten Freedom Summers album review". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  21. ↑ John Lane. "Quartz City". davidjohnsonmarimba.com (review). Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  22. ↑ Inner World, Music of David S. Lefkowitz, Yarlung Records, March 2014 Martin Perlich. "Music from the Inner World of David S. Lefkowitz" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2015-09-05.
  23. ↑ "Performer/Ensemble: Lynn Vartan". Classical Archives. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  24. ↑ The 48th Annual GRAMMY Awards Roundup: Classical Field, February 1, 2006
  25. ↑ David Ng (2010-09-09). "Pasadena's Southwest Chamber Music receives Latin Grammy nomination" . Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  26. ↑ "Dr. Lynn Vartan, Director of Percussion, Southern Utah University". Archived from the original on September 10, 2015.
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