Kenneth Slowik
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Kenneth Slowik (born 1954) is an American
cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D3 ...
, viol player, and conductor. Curator of Musical Instrument Collection at the
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...
and Artistic Director of the Smithsonian Chamber Music Society. He took an interest in music and organology from an early age. He studied at the University of Chicago, the Chicago Musical College, the Peabody Conservatory, the Salzburg Mozarteum and, as a Fulbright Scholar, the Vienna Hochschule für Musik, guided by (among others) Howard Mayer Brown,
Nikolaus Harnoncourt Johann Nikolaus Harnoncourt or historically Johann Nikolaus Graf de la Fontaine und d'Harnoncourt-Unverzagt; () (6 December 1929 – 5 March 2016) was an Austrian conductor, particularly known for his historically informed performances of music ...
,
Antonio Janigro Antonio Janigro (21 January 19181 May 1989) was an Italian cellist and conductor. Biography Born in Milan, he began studying piano when he was six and cello when he was eight. Initially taught by Giovanni Berti, Janigro enrolled in the Verdi ...
, Edward Lowinsky, and
Frederik Prausnitz Frederik William Prausnitz (August 26, 1920 in Cologne – November 12, 2004 in Lewes, Delaware) was a German-born American conductor and teacher. His grandfather, Wilhelm Prausnitz, was the dean of the medical school at Graz, as well as a Privy Co ...
. Slowik first established his international reputation primarily as a cellist and viola da gamba player through his work with the Smithsonian Chamber Players, Castle Trio, Smithson String Quartet, Axelrod Quartet, and with Anner Bylsma’s L’Archibudelli. Conductor of the Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra since 1988, he became conductor of the Santa Fe Bach Festival in 1998, and led the Santa Fe Pro Musica Chamber Orchestra from 1999 to 2004. He has been a soloist and/or conductor with numerous other orchestras, including the
National Symphony National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...
, the Baltimore, Vancouver, and Québec Symphonies, the Filharmonia Sudecka, the Pleven Philharmonic, and the Cleveland Orchestra. His involvement with 20th-century art music included many seasons with Ralph Shapey’s Contemporary Chamber Players and founding membership in the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art’s resident ensemble “Twittering Machine.” He has appeared in hundreds of concerts with SCMS ensembles and made over sixty recordings, featuring him as a conductor, cellist, gambist, barytonist and keyboard player for music ranging from the Baroque ( Marais, Corelli, Bach) through the Classical ( Haydn,
Boccherini Ridolfo Luigi Boccherini (, also , ; 19 February 1743 – 28 May 1805) was an Italian composer and cellist of the Classical era whose music retained a courtly and ''galante'' style even while he matured somewhat apart from the major European ...
, Beethoven, Schubert) and Romantic (
Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), born and widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositi ...
, Gade,
Spohr Louis Spohr (, 5 April 178422 October 1859), baptized Ludewig Spohr, later often in the modern German form of the name Ludwig, was a German composer, violinist and conducting, conductor. Highly regarded during his lifetime, Spohr composed ten Sy ...
) to the early twentieth century (
Schönberg Schönberg (german: beautiful hill) may refer to: Places Austria *Schönberg im Stubaital, a municipality in the district of Innsbruck-Land, Tyrol * Schönberg am Kamp, a town in the district of Krems-Land, Lower Austria Belgium * Schönber ...
, Mahler,
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
). Of these, many have won prestigious international awards, including France’s
Diapason d'Or The Diapason d'Or (French for "Golden Tuning Fork") is a recommendation of outstanding (mostly) classical music recordings given by reviewers of '' Diapason'' magazine in France, broadly equivalent to "Editor's Choice", "Disc of the Month" in the ...
and Choc, the “British Music Retailers’ Award for Excellence,” Italy’s Premio Internazionale del Disco Antonio Vivaldi, two
GRAMMY The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
® nominations, and numerous “Record of the Month” and “Record of the Year” prizes. A notable scholar and educator, Slowik has presented lectures and seminars throughout the United States. His articles on music and performance practice have appeared in several scholarly journals; his annotations for recordings and concert programs are frequently cited as models in their field. In 2011 he received the Smithsonian Secretary's Distinguished Research Lecture Award. Slowik serves on the faculties of L’Académie Internationale du Domaine Forget in Québec and the University of Maryland; he has been the Artistic Director of the Baroque Performance Institute at the Oberlin College Conservatory since 1993.


Selected discography

* ''Symphony No. 4 in G Major (arranged for chamber orchestra by Erwin Stein) and
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen ''Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen'' (''Songs of a Wayfarer'') is a song cycle by Gustav Mahler on his own texts. The cycle of four ''lieder'' for medium voice (often performed by women as well as men) was written around 1884–85 in the wake of Ma ...
ongs of a Wayfarer(arranged for chamber orchestra by Arnold Schönberg), by Gustav Mahler'' (dir.). The Smithsonian Chamber Players and Santa Fe Pro Musica, with Christine Brandes, soprano, and Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano (2003) * '' Verklärte Nacht by Arnold Schoenberg; Adagietto by Gustav Maher; Quartetto Serioso, Op. 95 by Ludwig van Beethoven, arranged for string orchestra by Gustav Mahler'' (dir.). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1996) * ''Quintets, Opp. 38, 39, & 40 by Georges Onslow'' (cellist). The Smithsonian Chamber Players and L’Archibudelli (1995) * ''Metamorphosen by Richard Strauss; Serenade and Elegy by Edward Elgar; Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber'' (dir.). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1995) * ''Concerts Royaux and Pièces à deux clavecins by François Couperin'' (viola da gamba and harpsichord). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1994) * ''Trio in E-flat Major, D929 and Sonatensatz, D28 by Franz Schubert'' (cello). The Castle Trio (1993) * ''The Complete Piano Trios of Ludwig van Beethoven'' (cello). The Castle Trio. (1990, 1991, 1993, 1989) * ''Octet, Op. 20, by Felix Mendelssohn; Octet, Op. 17, by Neils Gade'' (cello). Smithsonian Chamber Players and L’Archibudelli (1992) * ''String Quintets, Op. 11, Nos. 4–6 by Luigi Boccherini'' (cello). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1991) * ''Quintet in C Major, D956 by Franz Schubert'' (cello). Smithsonian Chamber Players and L’Archibudelli (1991) * ''Pièces à deux violes of 1686 by Marin Marais'' (viola da gamba). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1990) * ''St. John Passion, BWV 245, by Johann Sebastian Bach'' (dir.). The Smithsonian Chamber Players and Smithsonian Chamber Chorus (1990) * ''The Twelve Trio Sonatas of Op. 3 by Arcangelo Corelli'' (cello). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1989) * ''String Quartets Op. 54, Nos. 1 & 2 by Joseph Haydn'' (cello). The Smithson String Quartet (1989) * ''Trio in G Minor, Op. 15 by Bedrich Smetana; Dumky Trio by Antonín Dvořák'' (cello). The Castle Trio (1988) * ''Adrien-François Servais, Souvenirs and Caprices'' (cello). The Smithsonian Chamber Players (1988) * ''String Quartets Op. 77, Nos. 1 & 2 and Op. 103'' (cello). The Smithson String Quartet (1988) * ''String Quartets, Op. 18, Nos. 1–6 by Ludwig van Beethoven'' (cello). The Smithson String Quartet (1988) * ''Sonatas for Piano and Violoncello, Op. 5, Nos 1 & 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven'' (cello, with James Weaver, fortepiano) (1988)


References


External links


Staff page at the National Museum of American HistorySmithsonian Chamber Music SocietySmithsonian Music
Listing of contributed videos to the Smithsonian Music website {{DEFAULTSORT:Slowik, Kenneth American cellists American male conductors (music) Living people Chicago Musical College alumni 1954 births 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century American male musicians