Day: May 17, 2024

Vahn Armstrong, concertmaster of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra since 1993, will relinquish the position but continue to play in the violin section, the orchestra has announced. As concertmaster emeritus, he will continue to serve as the ensemble’s first violinist until a successor is hired.

Armstrong, a Michigan-born alumnus of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay, has played with the New World String Quartet, and the orchestra and ensembles at New York’s Chautauqua summer festival. He also is concertmaster of the Virginia Symphony contingent that performs with Virginia Opera, and has been the soloist in much of violin concerto repertory with the Norfolk-based orchestra.

In statements issued by the Virginia Symphony, JoAnn Falletta, its former music director, whose tenure largely coincided with Armstrong’s, called the violinist “an extraordinary musical partner to me throughout those years,” lauding “his subtlety, his exquisite musicianship, his sense of color, his stylistic sensitivity, and his musical imagination.”

“Any success I may have had in leading the orchestra over the years is entirely dependent upon the abundant goodwill and astonishing commitment to excellence of my colleagues, on stage and off,” Armstrong said.

The Virginia Symphony will post information on auditions for the concertmaster’s position on June 1 on its website, http://virginiasymphony.org/jobs-auditions/

The Concertgebouw, Amsterdam’s storied concert venue, has reinstated one of two scheduled recitals by the Jerusalem Quartet after canceling the group’s appearance over concerns about protests against Israel’s conduct in its offensive against the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza.

The Jerusalem, one of the world’s pre-eminent string quartets, was to have performed on May 16 and 18 at the Concertgebouw; but the hall’s management canceled the dates after violent protests at the University of Amsterdam and fears that pro-Palestinian demonstrators might disrupt the performances or endanger the safety of the artists, audience and hall staff.

The cancellations prompted a petition signed by more than 13,000 artists and critics – among them, stellar figures such as Martha Argerich, Evgeny Kissin, Simon Rattle and Anne-Sophie Mutter. A subsequent statement from signatories reads, in part, “Surrendering to those threats is not only an act of weakness, but a clear signal that we are not willing or prepared to defend our democratic values and our way of life. This is not acceptable and is highly dangerous for it undermines the very foundations of our society.”

The Concertgebouw, after arranging for “tightened security measures,” will go ahead with the Jerusalem’s May 18 performance, The Strad reports:

http://www.thestrad.com/news/jerusalem-quartet-performance-reinstated-at-the-concertgebouw/18047.article