Pre-Concert Talk with Martin Kuuskmann: 6:30pm

Performance: 7:30pm

To learn more about the New Music Miami ISCM Festival, click here. 

 

Grammy nominated bassoonist Martin Kuuskmann joins FIU’s Ensemble-in-Residence the Amernet String Quartet & members of the NODUS Ensemble for an evening of works by Tulve, Berio, Dougherty, Kim, Koonce, Rolle, and others.

 

Program

Song to a Distant Friend by Tõnu Kõrvits

performed by Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon

 

*Parallax by Paul Koonce

 

*Aphakia by William Dougherty

performed by Jason Calloway, cello & Chen-Hui Jen, piano

 

*From the Bottom of the Sea by Jihyun Kim

Jihyun Kim, Sheng

 

Vertigo by Olav Berg

performed by Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon

 

*für Klarenz by Brandon J. Rolle

performed by Chen-Hui Jen, piano

 

Und von liehte vinster by Helena Tulve

performed by Martin Kuuskmann, bassoon & Amernet String Quartet

*ISCM International Call for Scores Selected work

 

 

About Kusskmann–

Multiple Grammy nominated Estonian-born bassoon virtuoso, Martin Kuuskmann’s charismatic and commanding performances throughout the world have earned him repute as one of the leading solo instrumentalists of his generation. The New York Times has praised his Kuuskmann’s performances as “amazing…dynamic…Kuuskmann played stunningly .”  Kuuskmann has appeared with conductors including Neeme, Paavo and Kristjan Järvi, Robert Spano, Tõnu Kaljuste, Risto Joost, Nikolay Aleksejev, Anu Tali, Mihhail Gerts, Leonid Grin, and with orchestras such as Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Chile, Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Estonian Festival Orchestra, Macao Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Norrlandsoperan, and many others.

Constantly pushing the boundaries for new artistic and technical possibilities, Kuuskmann has premiered 11 bassoon concertos, all written and dedicated to him by some of the foremost composers of our time, including Erkki-Sven Tüür, Christopher Theofanidis, Eino Tamberg, Tõnu Kõrvits, Ülo Krigul, David Chesky, Gene Pritsker, Gregor Huebner.  Kuuskmann made his highly acclaimed Carnegie Hall concerto debut in 2013 with the Christopher Theofanidis Bassoon Concerto and the American Composers Orchestra led by Robert Spano. Known for his deft performances of the monumental solo work by Luciano Berio, Sequenza XII, Kuuskmann was invited as a soloist in 2008 for the New York Philharmonic’s “Day of Berio” in Rose Theater at Lincoln Center.  Kuuskmann’s collaboration with composers including Daniel Schnyder, Helena Tulve and jazz icon John Patitucci have led to numerous new solo works from bassoon and string quartet to amplified bassoon and electronics.  Since 2011 Kuuskmann has been invited annually as a concerto soloist at the International Double Reed Society Conventions.   His 2017/18 seasons projects include a newly commissioned solo work from the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra for bassoon, flute and orchestra by Pall Ragnar Palsson as well as a concert/cd project based on popular music of Brazil.

 

As a highly regarded chamber and orchestral musician, Kuuskmann has been a guest artist and soloist on several tours with the Berlin Philharmonic chamber groups Ensemble Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic Winds.  Kuuskmann has been the principal bassoonist of the renown Estonian Festival Orchestra by the invitation of Paavo Järvi since 2011, and has been a guest artist in Bremen Musikfest, Kuhmo, Umeå, Nargen, Gstaad Festival, to name a few.  Kuuskmann is a co-founder of the Berlin based Trio Mann along with oboist Christoph Hartmann (Berlin Philharmonic) and pianist Hendrik Heilmann.  His chamber music partners have included Kirill Gernstein, Robert Kulek, Lars Anders Tomter, Stephen Williamson, Jan Bjoranger, Matthew Hunt, Riccardo Morales, Gordon Hunt, Miguel Kertsman, David Taylor, John Patitucci, Kristjan Randalu, Daniel Schnyder, and many other esteemed artists.  Kuuskmann is a founding member and solo bassoonist of the New York City based Absolute Ensemble.

 

As a versatile recording artist, Kuuskmann received a 2016 Grammy Nomination for his much awaited recording of Christopher Theofanidis’ Bassoon Concerto from his solo cd, “Bassoon Concertos,” which also included live concert recordings of Mozart and Hummel Concertos, recorded with the Northwest Sinfonia and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra. In 2007 Kuuskmann received a Grammy nomination for his recording of David Chesky’s bassoon concerto.  Kuuskmann’s acclaimed solo cd “Nonstop” and other solo albums are available on ERP, Simax, Erdenklang, CCn’C and Chesky record labels.  His recordings and performances of transcribed works have created several publications for bassoon and piano, including Arvo Pärt’s luminous “Spiegel im Spiegel” on Universal Editions and Daniel Schnyder’s Bassoon Sonata on Editions Kunzelmann.  Kuuskmann’s live and archived solo performances have been broadcast regularly on radio stations across the world. Kuuskmann can be heard on numerous major movie soundtracks and popular video games, as well as on the Cinesample Cinepro Winds software for which he recorded the entire bassoon sound library.

 

An avid educator, Kuuskmann is an Assistant Professor of Bassoon at the Lamont School of Music at University of Denver.  For several years Kuuskmann served as a bassoon and contemporary performance faculty at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.  Kuuskmann has given numerous masterclasses in leading universities and conservatories worldwide and has been a regular faculty in Pärnu Music Festival’s Järvi Academy since 2011, as well as in South-America’s leading festivals of Campos do Jõrdau, Curitiba and Sesc Pelotas festivals in Brazil. Kuuskmann taught for a number years at the Arosa Music Academy in Switzerland.  Since 2010 Kuuskmann as been the woodwind coach of the Berlin based Baltic Sea Philharmonic led by Kristjan Järvi.  Kuuskmann has served as a jury member on several international bassoon competitions including the prestigious Muri Competition in Switzerland.

 

Kuuskmann received his M.M. from Yale School of Music and B.A. from the Manhattan Schools of Music.  His mentors include Stephen Maxym, Frank Morelli, Rufus Olivier and Vernon Read.  An artist of Bernd Moosmann bassoons, Miller Marketing Company and Legere reeds, Martin Kuuskmann plays on the Moosmann 222CL model bassoon.