FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
LONGY SCHOOL OF MUSIC OF BARD COLLEGE
ADDS TWO INNOVATIVE CELLIST EDUCATORS TO ROSTER
CAMBRIDGE, MA, November 20, 2020
Longy has hired two new Cello faculty to round out the conservatory’s faculty in strings.
Four-time GRAMMY Award-winning cellist NICK PHOTINOS, founding cellist and former co-Artistic Director of Eighth Blackbird, is one of the most innovative and multifaceted cellists of our time. An ardent advocate of new music, he has worked closely with composers of this era to premiere hundreds of works throughout his career. Apart from multiple GRAMMY wins, he has received Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year Award, the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, the inaugural Chamber Music America Visionary Award, the Naumburg Award, and the Concert Artists Guild Grand Prize.
Described as a “commanding soloist” (ClevelandClassical.com) whose “virtuoso cello playing is scintillating” (Chicago Classical Review) and “outstanding for his exquisite precision” (SFCV.org), Photinos has collaborated and toured with an astounding array of artists including rock/pop artists Björk, Wilco, Bryce Dessner, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, film composer Gustavo Santaolalla, classical artists Dawn Upshaw, Philip Glass, the Bang on a Can All-Stars, and jazz artists including Sheila Jordan, Laurence Hobgood, Zach Brock, and Matt Ulery.
Hailed a “firebrand” (IncidentLight.com) and noted for her “supreme panache” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), cellist and 2018 Sphinx Medal of Excellence Winner CHRISTINE LAMPREA is an artist known for her emotionally committed and intense performances. Upon her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist in 2013, she has performed with orchestras such Costa Rica National Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Houston Symphony, National Symphony of Michoacan, New Jersey Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and toured with the Sphinx Virtuosi across the U.S.
As a recitalist, Lamprea has appeared on at Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Florida’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Pepperdine University, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Washington Performing Arts Society. In demand as a chamber musician, she performs regularly with the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, and has performed with such musicians as Shmuel Ashkenasi, Sarah Chang, Itzhak Perlman, Roger Tapping, and Carol Wincenc.
The two cellists join Longy’s Strings faculty—all active performers and dedicated teachers, encompassing a wide range of styles and repertoire, from early music to new compositions. The school emphasizes individual attention from faculty mentors, ensemble playing, small classes, cross-departmental collaboration, and frequent performance opportunities, to create a uniquely inspiring learning environment.
As Nick Photinos describes his teaching philosophy, “It’s simple: help musicians discover what they want to say (artistry), and give them the tools to say it (technique). Just as each piece of music demands different tools, so does each performer. I strive to deeply know every student, help them identify what they want to achieve, and then give them the technical exercises, repertoire, and wisdom that will expand not just their technique, but their entire artistry and worldview.”
Christine Lamprea says of her own philosophy: “My goal is to equip students with the tools to embark upon a career as a musician of the twenty-first century. Honoring their context, character and background, I look to promote natural curiosity to achieve mastery in the students’ desired career path, as well as build a fundamental understanding of the cello and its possibilities. My teaching style is ardent, perceptive, and inclusive. I approach my practice and teaching with a positive energy, tuned into issues by cultivating active listening.”
Longy.edu/team/christine-lamprea/ • Longy.edu/team/nick-photinos/