Paul Wiancko

Last updated

Paul Wiancko
Paul Wiancko.jpg
Paul Wiancko in Adelaide, 2023
Background information
Born1983
San Clemente, CA
Genres
Occupation(s)Composer, cellist
Years active1988–present
Member of Kronos Quartet, Owls, Ayane & Paul
Formerly of Harlem Quartet
Website http://paulwiancko.com/

Paul Wiancko (born 1983) is an American composer and cellist of the Kronos Quartet.

Contents

Early life and education

Paul Kenji Wiancko was born in San Clemente, California. He began playing the cello at age 5 and composed his first piece at age 8. [1] After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to freelance while earning cello performance degrees with Ronald Leonard from the University of Southern California and the Colburn School. While in school, Wiancko converted his dormitory room into a production studio, [1] where he arranged and recorded strings for bands like Yellowcard and Veruca Salt. From 2009 to 2011, Wiancko attended the Marlboro Music Festival [2] where he performed with Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, and members of the Juilliard and Guarneri Quartets.

Career

Wiancko came to international attention in 2007 when he tied for 2nd Prize in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition, [3] which led to his playing the Witold Lutosławski Cello concerto with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Wiancko moved to New York City and shortly thereafter joined the Harlem Quartet, [4] with whom he performed for three years. During that time, Wiancko toured extensively with Chick Corea, and appears on Corea's albums The Continents and Hot House , the latter of which won a Grammy in 2013. Wiancko also performed with Etta James at the Hollywood Bowl and Stanley Clarke at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

From 2009 to 2023, Wiancko appeared as guest cellist with Eighth Blackbird, Mark Morris Dance Group, [5] Metropolis Ensemble, [6] TAK ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, Parker Quartet, NOVUS NY, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Wiancko is a member of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has collaborated extensively with Jóhann Jóhannsson [7] and Max Richter, [8] including giving the North American premiere of Richter's Sleep at SXSW in 2018. [9]

In 2011, Wiancko founded Big Purple Box, a recording studio in Brooklyn, New York, where he arranged and recorded strings for numerous artists, including Norah Jones and Wye Oak.

In October 2023, Wiancko was named Spoleto Festival USA's next Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director of Chamber Music, debuting in the role in the 2024 season. Wiancko’s appointment marks the first time in the Festival’s history that the standing director is both a performer and composer.

Owls

Owls in the studio.png
Owls recording in New York City, 2021

In 2019, Wiancko—along with violinist Alexi Kenney, violist Ayane Kozasa, and cellist Gabriel Cabezas—founded Owls, a quartet-collective described as a "dream group" [10] by The New York Times and noted for its "unusual" make up, consisting of two cellists instead of two violinists.

Kronos Quartet

In 2023, Paul Wiancko became the newest member of the Kronos Quartet, [11] succeeding cellist Sunny Yang. Kronos' Artistic Director David Harrington stated of the transition, "We look forward to soaring into the future with the catalytic, super-charged vitality of Paul’s playing. It will be so much fun to explore the vast world of music together with Paul." [11] Wiancko first collaborated with the quartet in 2018, when Kronos commissioned Wiancko to compose a work for their 50 for the Future initiative. [12] From 2019 to 2020, Wiancko served as Kronos' guest cellist during Yang's maternity leave.

Composition

In 2013, the Parker Quartet commissioned Wiancko's first concert work, Strange Beloved Land. [13] Wiancko has since composed works for the Kronos Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Aizuri Quartet, [14] Attacca Quartet, Calder Quartet, Susanna Phillips, [15] Alisa Weilerstein, [16] Ayane Kozasa, [17] yMusic, [18] Alexi Kenney, [19] and others. In 2016, Wiancko composed the score for the crime drama feature film Heartlock , as well as a Mars exploration-based work for solo piano commissioned by scientist and NASA project leader Peter Smith. [20]

Wiancko has been composer-in-residence at Spoleto Festival USA, [1] Music from Angel Fire, Twickenham Fest, [15] Portland Chamber Music Festival, Newburyport Chamber Music Festival, [20] Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, [14] and the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival. In 2018, Wiancko received the S&R Foundation Washington Award [21] for his work as a composer. In 2022, he was named one of The Washington Post's "22 for '22: Composers and Performers to Watch."

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kronos Quartet</span> American string quartet

The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical music. More than 1,000 works have been written for it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinz Holliger</span> Swiss oboist, composer and conductor (born 1939)

Heinz Robert Holliger is a Swiss virtuoso oboist, composer and conductor. Celebrated for his versatility and technique, Holliger is among the most prominent oboists of his generation. His repertoire includes Baroque and Classical pieces, but he has regularly engaged in lesser known pieces of Romantic music, as well as his own compositions. He often performed contemporary works with his wife, the harpist Ursula Holliger; composers such as Berio, Carter, Henze, Krenek, Lutosławski, Martin, Penderecki, Stockhausen and Yun have written works for him. Holliger is a noted composer himself, writing works such as the opera Schneewittchen (1998).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colburn School</span> Private performing arts school in Los Angeles, California

The Colburn School is a private performing arts school in Los Angeles with a focus on music and dance. It consists of four divisions: the Conservatory of Music, Music Academy, Community School of Performing Arts and the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. Founded in 1950, the school is named after its principal benefactor, Richard D. Colburn.

James Zuill Bailey, better known as Zuill Bailey is an American Grammy Award-winning cello soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. A graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Juilliard School, he has appeared in recital and with major orchestras internationally. He is a professor of cello and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at El Paso. Bailey’s extensive recording catalogue are released on TELARC, Avie, Steinway and Sons, Octave, Delos, Albany, Sono Luminus, Naxos, Azica, Concord, EuroArts, ASV, Oxingale and Zenph Studios.

Daniel Kellogg is an American composer. Kellogg is Assistant Professor of Music at the College of Music of the University of Colorado at Boulder, teaching music composition, counterpoint and orchestration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alisa Weilerstein</span> Musical artist

Alisa Weilerstein is an American classical cellist. She was named a 2011 MacArthur Fellow.

Harlem Quartet is a string quartet that was originally composed of first-place laureates of the Sphinx Competition for Black and Latino string players. They were formed in 2006. The members are first violinist Ilmar Gavilán, second violinist Melissa White, violist Jaime Amador, and cellist Felix Umansky. The Quartet won Best Instrumental Composition at the 2013 Grammy Awards for Mozart Goes Dancing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Dessner</span> American musician

Bryce David Dessner is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, and a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother, Aaron is also a member of the group. Together, they write the music in collaboration with lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger.

<i>Five Tango Sensations</i> 1991 studio album by Kronos Quartet & Astor Piazzolla

Five Tango Sensations is a suite of works (Asleep—Loving—Anxiety—Despertar—Fear) for bandoneón and string quartet written in 1989 by Argentine composer Ástor Piazzolla. It was premiered in New York that year and recorded immediately afterwards by the Kronos Quartet and the composer, who played the bandoneón. The record was one of a set of three internationally tinged albums released simultaneously, the Argentine music of this album being accompanied by the music of South-African composer Kevin Volans on Kevin Volans: Hunting:Gathering and the music of Polish composer Witold Lutosławski on Witold Lutosławski: String Quartet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Kahane</span> American singer-songwriter

Gabriel Kahane is an American composer and singer-songwriter.

Alexandra du Bois is an American composer, violinist and educator who has received international critical acclaim for her chamber, orchestral and vocal compositions. She currently lives in New York and Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Waterhouse</span> English composer (born 1962)

Graham Waterhouse is an English composer and cellist who specializes in chamber music. He has composed a cello concerto, Three Pieces for Solo Cello and Variations for Cello Solo for his own instrument, and string quartets and compositions that juxtapose a quartet with a solo instrument, including Piccolo Quintet, Bassoon Quintet and the piano quintet Rhapsodie Macabre. He has set poetry for speaking voice and cello, such as Der Handschuh, and has written song cycles. His compositions reflect the individual capacity and character of players and instruments, from the piccolo to the contrabassoon.

The Cassatt String Quartet was founded in 1985. Originally the first participants in Juilliard's Young Artists Quartet Program, the Quartet has gone on to win many teaching fellowships and awards and has toured internationally. Named after impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, the quartet is based in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wu Han (pianist)</span> Musical artist

Wu Han (吴菡) is a Taiwanese-American pianist and influential figure in the classical music world. Leading a multifaceted career, she has risen to international prominence through her activities as a concert performer, recording artist, educator, arts administrator, and cultural entrepreneur. She is currently the Co-Artistic Director of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Music@Menlo Chamber Music Festival and Institute in California and Co-Founder of ArtistLed. She also serves as Artistic Advisor for Wolf Trap’s Chamber Music in the Barns series and the Society of the Four Arts in Palm Beach. She was appointed Artistic Director of La Musica in 2022.

MusicNOW is a contemporary music and arts festival founded in 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Chamber Music Cincinnati. President Audrey Luna and guitarist and composer Bryce Dessner curated this inaugural season. It was originally held at the Contemporary Arts Center and later moved to Memorial Hall, a small historic theater located in the city's historic Over-the-Rhine district. Festival performers have included contemporary music advocates Bang on a Can All-Stars and Kronos Quartet as well as indie rock groups such as Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors and The National. Two annual elements of the festival have been the inclusion of visual art, including installations by Karl Jensen, and new music commissions.

The Formosa Quartet is an American string quartet. The quartet won the First Prize and the Amadeus Prize at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in 2006, and is committed to championing the indigenous music of under-represented cultures, and to stretching the boundaries of string quartet expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolfgang Boettcher</span> German editor, musician, and music educator (1935–2021)

Wolfgang Boettcher was a German classical cellist and academic teacher. He was principal cellist of the Berlin Philharmonic, and a founding member of The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic. From 1976, he was professor at the Hochschule für Musik Berlin. From 1986 to 1992 he was artistic director of the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker chamber music festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aizuri Quartet</span>

The Aizuri Quartet is an American string quartet formed in 2012. Known for its performance of new music as well as the traditional repertoire, it has served as the quartet-in-residence at a number of cultural organizations, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2017–2018, the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, 2015–2016, and the Curtis Institute, 2014–2016. Its name is taken from aizuri-e, a Japanese style of woodblock printing that is mostly blue.

Robert Sirota is an American classical music composer based in New York City and Searsmont, Maine. Sirota has written solo instrumental, vocal, chamber, orchestral, operatic, and liturgical works. He is the father of American violists Nadia Sirota and Jonah Sirota, and husband to organist and Episcopal priest Victoria Sirota. Dating back to 1994, Robert Sirota's work can be found on nine studio albums recorded by an assortment of musicians including: Dinosaur Annex Ensemble, the Chiara String Quartet, and the American String Quartet. Most recently, Sirota's 2020 work for cello and piano, Family Portraits, was recorded by the Fischer Duo for their album 2020 Visions, released on Navona Records on August 26, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jupiter String Quartet</span> American string quartet

The Jupiter String Quartet is an American classical music ensemble founded in 2001. It is a string quartet consisting of Nelson Lee (violin); sisters Meg Freivogel (violin) and Liz Freivogel (viola); and Daniel McDonough (cello), who is Meg Freivogel's husband.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paul Wiancko Brings World Premiere, Widely-Influenced Style to Chamber Music Series", South Carolina Public Radio, 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  2. Cicely M. Eastman, "Peter, Paul and Judith!", Brattleboro Reformer, 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  3. "VI Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition, 2007". Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  4. "Cellist Paul Wiancko Joins Harlem Quartet", Sciolino Artist Management, 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  5. Alastair Macaulay, "Dance Review: A Romp Through The Barn", The New York Times, 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  6. David Allen, "6 Classical Concerts to See in N.Y.C.", The New York Times, 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  7. Liz Cearns, "ACME Performs with Blonde Redhead, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and More", Broadway World, 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  8. Harrison Tunggal, "Max Richter politicizes melancholy at Zellerbach Hall", The Daily Californian, 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. Lars Gotrich, "South X Lullabies: Max Richter", NPR Music, 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  10. Seth Colter Walls, "Review: With Owls, Classical Is Alive and Well and Living in a Crypt", The New York Times, 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. 1 2 "Kronos Welcomes New Cellist Paul Wiancko", Kronos Performing Arts Association, 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  12. "50 For The Future: Paul Wiancko", Kronos Performing Arts Association, 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  13. Jeff Kaliss, "Paul Wiancko, Kronos Quartet’s New Cellist, Is Also A Composer", San Francisco Classical Voice, 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  14. 1 2 "Going On About Town - Caramoor: Aizuri Quartet, Pacifica Quartet", The New Yorker, 2016-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  15. 1 2 Michael Huebner, "Twickenham Fest Expands to Five Concerts, Brings Array of Musicians to Huntsville", ArtsBHAM, 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  16. Katherine Zehnder, "UCSB Arts & Lectures to present U.S. premiere of 'Fragments'", Santa Barbara News Press, 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  17. "Ayane Kozasa, viola and Amy Yang, piano", Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  18. Madison Bloom, "6 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Tame Impala, Katie Gately, yMusic, and More", Pitchfork, 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  19. "World Premiere Recording of Paul Wiancko's 'X Suite for Solo Violin'", The Violin Channel, 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  20. 1 2 "Chamber Music Artists", Methow Arts, 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  21. "The S&R Washington Award Winners", 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2018-04-26.