Michaela Paetsch
Encyclopedia
Michaela Paetsch Neftel (November 12, 1961) is an American violin
ist who was born in Colorado Springs. She is known for being the first female in the world to have recorded all 24 Paganini Caprices for solo violin.
, Christian, Engelbert and Siegmund) - in Colorado Springs. She studied first with her parents since the age of three with Priscilla and Gunther Paetsch, then with Ivan Galamian
at Meadowmount
and later with Szymon Goldberg
at Yale University
and at the Curtis Institute of Music
.
.
Since then, she has been performing as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician in the major musical centres of the world, including New York's Carnegie Hall
, Avery Fisher Hall
, the Library of Congress
in Washington. She has also played in major festivals such as the Marlboro
, Tokyo, Davos, Berlin (Brandenburg Summer Concerts), Banff
, Boulder, and "Mostly Mozart
" in New York.
She has been invited as soloist with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonics of Osaka, Japan, Seoul, Liège and Bergen; the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Residentie Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and the BBC Symphony, among others. She has performed under such conductors as Kent Nagano, Dimitrij Kitajenko, Horst Stein
and Myung-Whun Chung.
As a soloist of international repute she has performed in concert with, among others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
in London, the Gewandhaus
in Leipzig Germany, the NHK Symphony Orchestra
in Tokyo, the Hallé Orchestra Manchester, La Suisse Romande and Montreal.
and the Tchaikovsky International Violin
Competitions.
Since 1993 Michaela Paetsch is the violinist of the quartet "ensemble incanto" with which she tours extensively and records regularly. She lives in Bern, Switzerland.
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist who was born in Colorado Springs. She is known for being the first female in the world to have recorded all 24 Paganini Caprices for solo violin.
Early life
Michaela Paetsch was raised in a large musical family - with parents (Gunther and Priscilla), two sisters (Phebe and Brigitte) and four brothers (JohannJohann Sebastian Paetsch
Johann Sebastian Paetsch is an American cellist and musician.-Early musical education:Paetsch began his cello studies with his father, Günther Paetsch , at the age of 5, and gave his first recital when he was 6 years old...
, Christian, Engelbert and Siegmund) - in Colorado Springs. She studied first with her parents since the age of three with Priscilla and Gunther Paetsch, then with Ivan Galamian
Ivan Galamian
Ivan Alexander Galamian was an influential Armenian violin teacher of the twentieth century.He was born in Tabriz, Iran, but his family soon emigrated to Moscow, Russia. Galamian studied violin at the School of the Philharmonic Society there with Konstantin Mostras until his graduation in 1919...
at Meadowmount
Meadowmount School of Music
The Meadowmount School of Music, founded in 1944 by Ivan Galamian, is a 7-week summer school in Westport in Upstate New York for accomplished young violinists, cellists, violists, and pianists training for professional careers in music. The students are required to practice for at least five hours...
and later with Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg
Szymon Goldberg was a Polish-born American violinist and conductor.Born in Włocławek, Congress Poland, Goldberg played the violin as a child growing up in Warsaw...
at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and at the Curtis Institute of Music
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
.
Musical career
She made her debut as a soloist at the age of eleven with the Mendelssohn Violin ConcertoViolin Concerto (Mendelssohn)
Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64 is his last large orchestral work. It forms an important part of the violin repertoire and is one of the most popular and most frequently performed violin concertos of all time...
.
Since then, she has been performing as soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician in the major musical centres of the world, including New York's Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall
Avery Fisher Hall is a concert hall, in New York City and is part of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex. It is the home of the New York Philharmonic, with a capacity of 2,738 seats.-History:...
, the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
in Washington. She has also played in major festivals such as the Marlboro
Marlboro Music School and Festival
The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont...
, Tokyo, Davos, Berlin (Brandenburg Summer Concerts), Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
, Boulder, and "Mostly Mozart
Mostly Mozart
The Mostly Mozart Festival is a summer series of concerts held at Lincoln Center in New York City. Currently, the artistic director is Jane Moss while the music director is Louis Langrée. In 2006, it celebrated its 40th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of its namesake Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's...
" in New York.
She has been invited as soloist with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonics of Osaka, Japan, Seoul, Liège and Bergen; the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Residentie Orchestra, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and the BBC Symphony, among others. She has performed under such conductors as Kent Nagano, Dimitrij Kitajenko, Horst Stein
Horst Stein
Horst Walter Stein was a German conductor.- Biography :...
and Myung-Whun Chung.
As a soloist of international repute she has performed in concert with, among others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Orchestra
The BBC Symphony Orchestra is the principal broadcast orchestra of the British Broadcasting Corporation and one of the leading orchestras in Britain.-History:...
in London, the Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus
Gewandhaus is a concert hall in Leipzig, Germany. Today's hall is the third to bear this name; like the second, it is noted for its fine acoustics. The first Gewandhaus was built in 1781 by architect Johann Carl Friedrich Dauthe. The second opened on 11 December 1884, and was destroyed in the...
in Leipzig Germany, the NHK Symphony Orchestra
NHK Symphony Orchestra
The in Tokyo, Japan began as the New Symphony Orchestra on October 5, 1926 and was the country's first professional symphony orchestra. Later, it changed its name to Japan Symphony Orchestra and in 1951, after receiving financial support from NHK, it took its current name...
in Tokyo, the Hallé Orchestra Manchester, La Suisse Romande and Montreal.
Prizes
She has won numerous awards, including first prize in the G.B. Dealey International Competition in Dallas and top prizes in the Queen ElisabethQueen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Music Competition, a founding member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions has been, since its foundation, considered the world over to be one of the most prestigious and most difficult. It is devoted to violin , piano , to composition and to singing...
and the Tchaikovsky International Violin
International Tchaikovsky Competition
The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow, Russia for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 30 years of age, and singers between 19 and 32 years of age...
Competitions.
Discography
Her extensive discography includes:- The 24 Caprices by Niccolò PaganiniNiccolò PaganiniNiccolò Paganini was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin virtuosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique...
with Teldec. - She has also recorded with Sony Classical, Arte Nova (BMG) and Tudor.
- Her recent disc of the Concertos by Joachim RaffJoachim RaffJoseph Joachim Raff was a German-Swiss composer, teacher and pianist.-Biography:Raff was born in Lachen in Switzerland. His father, a teacher, had fled there from Württemberg in 1810 to escape forced recruitment into the military of that southwestern German state that had to fight for Napoleon in...
with the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra (TUDOR 7086). - The complete music for solo strings of Daron HagenDaron HagenDaron Aric Hagen , is an American composer, conductor, pianist, educator, librettist, and stage director of contemporary classical music and opera.- Early life and education :...
for Arsis. - ensemble incanto - string quartet
Since 1993 Michaela Paetsch is the violinist of the quartet "ensemble incanto" with which she tours extensively and records regularly. She lives in Bern, Switzerland.