Peter Asimov |
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Young Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy of The Mendelssohn Project Peter Asimov, 14, lives in New York City and is an Honors student in the Preparatory Division of the Mannes College of Music, where he studies piano with Genya Paley, composition with Steven Sacco and chamber music with Eileen Buck. He made his debut at CAMI Hall in New York in 2002, and since then has been active as piano soloist, chamber musician and as concerto artist with appearances in Alaska, California, Florida, Vermont and Germany. For the last two summers, Peter has participated in the Young Performers Program of Music@Menlo. On Aug.12, 2005, Peter and other Menlo members played the Dohnányi Piano Quintet No. 1 in C minor. The next day, Peter traveled to Germany to perform solo works as well as the Piano Quartet in E Major, Op. 20, by Sergey Taneyev, in the public concerts of the Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival. Helmut Fischer, who reviewed the Sulzbach-Rosenberg Festival for "Der Neue Tag" wrote, "Peter Asimov...with passion and assurance let the Scriabin Etude ring out. He also portrayed the most demanding piano quartet from Taneyev....it was a truly masterful close for the concert." In October 2005, Peter performed the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11, by Frederic Chopin, in two concerts with the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Louis Kosma. In April 2005 he performed this Concerto with the Anchorage Civic Orchestra, under guest conductor Gordon Wright. Mike Dunham, classical music critic for the Anchorage Daily News, praised Peter's "passionate playing,'' saying, "Asimov definitely succeeded in conveying the soul of the music.'' And Jim Lowe, music critic of The Times-Argus of Barre and Montpelier, wrote: "He delivered the colorful work with a natural lyricism and musicality.'' Peter has also performed with the Keys Chamber Orchestra in Florida, where he played the Bach F minor Concerto in 2003 and returned the following year to play both the Mozart F major Concerto (K. 459) and the Mendelssohn G minor Concerto. In 2004 Peter was selected to participate in The Mendelssohn Project, a far-ranging program to further revive, present and publish many unknown works by Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn. Peter plays the music of the young Felix Mendelssohn in ongoing concerts, and regularly appears in performance on behalf of this international foundation. Peter is also a composer whose works have been performed in New York City, San Francisco, Vermont and Florida. Peter was a recipient of an ASCAP Morton Gould Award Young Composer Award in 2003 and 2004. Peter is the great-nephew of Isaac Asimov, the science fiction writer, loves basketball and tennis, and is in the eighth grade at The Town School in Manhattan.
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