Search - Renata Artman Knific (violin); Lori Sims (piano) :: William Bolcom: Works for Violin and Piano - Renata Artman Knific

Renata Artman Knific s international career began in London when she joined the English Chamber Orchestra at the age of 21. Tours of Europe, North and South America and Asia followed, with artists such as Herman Bauman, Barry Tuckwell, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Maurice Andre, Pinchas Zuckerman, Itzhak Perlman, Isaac Stern, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Murray Perahia. She has worked closely with conductors Daniel Barenboim, Simon Rattle, Edo De Waart and Christoph Eschenbach, and has made dozens of recordings for the EMI, Decca and CBS labels. As violinist of the Merling Trio, Knific performs 20 to 40 concerts annually throughout the world, including appearances at Merkin Hall, Carnegie Hall, St. John s in London, and the Banff Center for the Arts. She has released three discs with the trio and premiered many works written for the group, which were finalists for the Naumburg Foundation Chamber Music Award in 1994. Knific has also appeared in chamber music festivals and as a soloist throughout Europe, the United States and Canada. Ms. Knific is a founding member of the contemporary ensemble, Opus 21, and has premiered dozens of works by many leading composers in recent years. In 2003, she released "West of Everywhere", a crossover recording featuring her with a variety jazz greats including Gene Bertoncini, Sir Roland Hanna, John Abercrombie, Jamey Haddad and Billy Hart. Her premiere recording of Marga Richter s concerto for piano, violin, cello and orchestra entitled "Variations and Interludes on Themes from Monteverdi and Bach" was released by Leonarda Records in 2004 to critical acclaim. Ms. Knific is Professor of Music and Chair of the String Department at Western Michigan University, and has taught at the Encore School for Strings, Cleveland Institute of Music, Interlochen Arts Academy, and Lancut Festival in Poland. Her former students perform in the Cavani, Pro Arte and Cypress quartets and in orchestras throughout the world including the Cleveland, Houston, Honolulu and S