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Tracy Silverman
Biography
Lauded by the BBC as “the greatest living exponent of the electric violin”, Tracy
Silverman’s groundbreaking work with the 6-string electric violin defies musical
boundaries. The world's first concert electric violinist, Silverman has been the subject of
two major orchestral commissions, both composed specifically for and with Tracy:
Pulitzer winner John Adams’ “The Dharma at Big Sur”, premiered with the Los
Angeles Philharmonic at the gala opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall in 2003 and
recorded with the BBC Symphony on Nonesuch Records with John Adams
conducting; and legendary “Father of Minimalism” Terry Riley’s “The Palmian Chord
Ryddle” which Silverman will premier with the Nashville Symphony in Carnegie Hall
on May 12, 2012.
Formerly first violinist with the innovative Turtle Island String Quartet, Silverman was
named one of 100 distinguished alumni by The Juilliard School. Shortly after
graduating in 1980, Silverman built one of the first-ever 6-string violins and set his own
course as a musical pioneer, designing and performing on an instrument that did not
previously exist. Silverman’s eclectic career has spanned work with the world’s premier
symphonies and conductors, including Marin Alsop, Esa-Pekka Salonen, recording
with Naami Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony; as well as recording with the rock band
Guster, contemporary music Paul Dresher Ensemble, jazz legend Billy Taylor and
many more.
In the liner notes to “The Dharma at Big Sur”, Pulitzer prize winning composer John
Adams writes, ”Tracy has developed his own unique style of violin playing—a marvel of
expressiveness.” At the premier, Mark Swed of the LA Times enthused, “Inspiring.
Silverman is in a class of his own.” The Chicago Tribune’s John von Rhein wrote of
Silverman’s “blazing virtuosity. You will be astonished that anybody can play a fiddle
like that” and Anthony Tommasini, New York Times, raved, "Fleet agility and tangy
expressivity with wailing hints of Jimi Hendrix." A composer himself, Silverman recently
premiered his second electric violin concerto, “Between the Kiss and the Chaos”, and
tours internationally as a soloist with orchestras, with his one-man performances, and
as a collaborator with many other artists and chamber ensembles including the Calder
Quartet. Tracy has appeared on numerous national TV and radio programs such as
NPR’s Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday among many others and has been
profiled on CBS News Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood. Tracy is a faculty
member at Belmont University and at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music
in Nashville, where he lives with his wife and 4 children.
www.tracysilverman.com