SPCO names Patricia Kopatchinskaja as new artistic partner
St. Paul Chamber Orchestra President Bruce Coppock is very excited to have enlisted Patricia Kopatchinskaja as the orchestra's latest artistic partner.
"We are catching the wave," he says of the young Moldovan violinist who is taking Europe by storm, playing with the London and Berlin Philharmonics. She has only played in the U.S. a couple of times, and Coppock is pleased the SPCO will be the first major American orchestra to have an on-going relationship with her.
The daughter of folk musicians, Kopatchinskaja is steeped in musical history but Coppock says he first became aware of her classical chops, where he says she displays remarkable versatility built on a rigorous classical training.
"I am sure she is going to take the Twin Cities by storm," Coppock says.
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Coppock admits it took a little bit of explanation to help her understand the SPCO's system of artistic partners, which they set up some years ago. Instead of a music director, a series of visiting artists lead the orchestra for a few weeks every year. Kopatchinskaja will join the current roster of Roberto Abbado, Edo de Waart, Christian Zacharias and Thomas Zehetmair.
In a release announcing her appointment Kopatchinskaja said, "As an interpreter I am most interested in communicating the meaning and inner workings of the music I play. Curiosity drives me to explore many different musical frontiers and I'm ready to take the risks that this process entails." She said she's looking forward to "exploring new worlds and frontiers with these wonderful musicians."
Her first appearance with the SPCO will be in the fall as part of the 2014-2015 season. She will perform a program including Ravel’s Tzigane, Bartók’s Romanian Folk Dances, and Mendelssohn’s Violin
Concerto in D Minor. Her parents will also join her onstage to present traditional Eastern European music. You can watch a video of her family performing below.