“Miranda Cuckson has for the last five years proven that she’s one of the most interesting and most talented musicians specializing in contemporary music. I think that’s pretty obvious,” Rick Whitaker, theater and music director of the Italian Academy, said.
Cuckson, a world-renowned violinist, will be playing a solo recital in the Teatro of Casa Italiana at 8 p.m. on Nov. 4. This free concert will be the second in a series hosted by Columbia’s Italian Academy this fall, featuring other distinguished artists such as Emanuele Torquati and Alex Lipowski.
To those familiar with its programming, the Italian Academy is often known for its performances of contemporary classical music. This abundance of new music is the direct result of Whitaker’s influence.
“Before I became the curator of music, most of the concerts here were of older music,” Whitaker said. As he explained it, the fact that “there are not a lot of venues in New York that features contemporary European music” has made it possible for Columbia to become “a niche, especially for the Italian music.”
However, the program for this concert will diverge somewhat from the newer trend. In addition to a selection of contemporary music, Cuckson’s recital will feature pieces from late Baroque and Romantic eras by Busoni and Veracini.
“He [Whitaker] didn’t stipulate that it had to be all Italian, but I love the idea to be all Italian music—it’s such a rich vein, rich tradition of western classical music,” Cuckson said. She then discussed her expectations for the upcoming concert: “There’s a lot of different points of interest in the program. I think for people who are interested in the Italian culture, it’s just a great window into that,” she said. “And for people who are interested in contemporary music, Donatoni and Gervasoni are the two really great music composers, so a chance to hear their music is really something special.”
But for many concertgoers the real point of interest is definitely Cuckson herself. After beginning her studies at Juilliard at age nine and graduating with the Richard F. French Prize for best doctoral dissertation, Cuckson has since performed in the United States, Europe, and the Far East with the world’s most renowned orchestras.
Despite her notable achievements, Cuckson is extremely humble. When asked about Juilliard Orchestra’s latest concerts at Carnegie Hall, she merely remarked, “I played there for a while.”
Cuckson’s humility also dominated a discussion of the upcoming Italian Academy recital: “I just hope they’ll come and discover these great pieces, the variety of these composers whose voices and styles are really great,” she said. “I have a really great time exploring it. I hope to share that with other people.”
Whitaker described the concert as “a chance to see someone as gifted as Miranda Cuckson playing solo music in such a beautiful and intimate setting.” But it’s not just Cuckson who’s so exciting—it’s the notion of Cuckson now, at the present moment, before she becomes so famous that she is completely unreachable and her recitals unaffordable.
“My strongest wish is for Columbia students to understand that this is something really here for them,” Whitaker said.
Time: Wednesday at 8 p.m.
Place: Casa Italiana Teatro (1161 Amsterdam Ave.)
Cost: Free
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