DAVID FINCKEL

2007/ 08 Short Biography (411 Words)

Cellist David Finckel’s multifaceted career as concert performer, recording artist, educator, arts administrator, and cultural entrepreneur places him in the ranks of today’s most influential classical musicians.

He has been hailed as a "world class soloist" (Denver Post) and "one of the top ten, if not top five, cellists in the world today" (Nordwest Zeitung, Germany). Highlights of recent seasons include recitals throughout North America with pianist Wu Han; a third appearance at London’s Wigmore Hall; and the world premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Cello Sonata no. 1. Additional solo and chamber appearances include the Aspen Music Festival, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and Music@Menlo, and over one hundred concerts annually as cellist of the Grammy Award winning Emerson String Quartet. Last season, with pianist Wu Han and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra (Columbus, OH), David Finckel appeared in the world premiere of Compadrazgo, a new double concerto by Gabriela Lena Frank composed for David Finckel and Wu Han. Other recent appearances as orchestral soloist include Elgar’s Cello Concerto Op. 85 with the Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, Shostakovich’s First Concerto and the Beethoven Triple Concerto (with pianist Wu Han and violinist Margaret Batjer) with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, as well as performances and recordings of the Dvorák Concerto and Augusta Read Thomas’s Ritual Incantations with the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, and John Harbison’s Cello Concerto with the Albany Symphony.

David Finckel’s expansive musical activities include the launch of ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician directed, Internet based recording company, which is celebrating its tenth year. The Denver Post described ArtistLed as “a classical music breakthrough.” The label’s “Russian Classics” recording received BBC Music magazine’s coveted "Editor's Choice." The two newest additions to the ArtistLed catalogue feature the cello sonatas of Johannes Brahms and David Finckel’s recording of the Dvorák Concerto and Augusta Read Thomas’s Ritual Incantations (world premiere recording).

David Finckel and Wu Han serve as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In recent years, they have become widely recognized for their initiatives in expanding audiences for classical music, and for guiding the careers of countless young musicians. They are also the founders and Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in Silicon Valley that has garnered international acclaim for its innovative programming, roster of world-class artists, workshop program for young musicians, and Encounters series featuring the nation’s top musicologists. Prior to launching Music@Menlo, Wu Han and David Finckel served for three seasons as Artistic Directors of SummerFest La Jolla.