Violinist Curtis Macomber is considered one of the most versatile soloists and chamber musicians before the public today, with a discography ranging from complete Brahms String Quartets to the Roger Sessions Solo Sonata (“This is one of the best recordings of 20th Century solo violin music ever made.” American Record Guide) to the complete Grieg and Brahms Sonatas. Mr. Macomber has also for many years been recognized as a leading advocate of the music of our time. He has performed in hundreds of premieres, commissions and first recordings of solo violin and chamber works by, among others, Carter, Davidovsky, Perle, Wuorinen, and Mackey.
As first violinist of the New World String Quartet from 1982 to 1993, Mr. Macomber performed in major halls throughout the United States and Europe, and, with the Quartet, was appointed Artist-in-Residence at Harvard. He was also the violinist of Speculum Musicae from 1991 to 2009. Mr. Macomber is a founding member of the Apollo Trio. He is also a member of DaCapo, the Manhattan String Quartet and the Walden Chamber Players. His numerous and highly acclaimed recordings for Nonesuch, CRI, Koch, Vanguard, and Musical Heritage include a solo CD (“Songs of Solitude”) which was named by the New York Observer as one of 1996’s best instrumental solo discs. Sonatas of Amy Beach and John Corigliano are available on Koch. Mr. Macomber is a member of the chamber music faculty of the Juilliard School and the violin faculty of the Manhattan and Mannes Schools. He has taught at Tanglewood, Taos and Yellow Barn. He holds his B.M., M.M., and D.M.A. degrees from the Juilliard School, where he was a scholarship student of Joseph Fuchs and winner of the Loeb and Naumburg Prizes.
Hailed as a composer of “fearless eloquence” (Andrew Porter, The New Yorker), Louis Karchin has been honored with performances of his music throughout the United States, Europe, and the Far East. He has been championed by such organizations as the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Fort Worth Opera, the Center for Contemporary Opera, Tanglewood, the Guggenheim Museum, the Louisville Orchestra, the Group for Contemporary Music, the Da Capo Chamber Players, the New York New Music Ensemble, and many more. His music is recorded on Bridge, Naxos, New World, Albany and CRI labels, and his compositions are published by C. F. Peters Corporation and the American Composers Alliance. Mr. Karchin is the recipient of numerous awards for his work including Koussevitzky, Fromm and Barlow Foundation Commissions, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and three awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
Active as a conductor, he has founded or co-founded noted performing ensembles including the Harvard Group for New Music, the Chamber Players of the League-ISCM, the Washington Square Ensemble, and most recently, the Orchestra of the League of Composers. He is Professor of Music at New York University.
Four Sketches for Solo Violin - Louis Karchin
Recorded at home in New York, NY, December 2020
Curtis Macomber, violin
Mastered by Alex Vourtsanis.
Property of Shelter Recording Project, American Composers Alliance.
