Schiff, Heinrich

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Schiff, Heinrich

Schiff, Heinrich, Austrian cellist and conductor; b. Gmunden, Nov. 18, 1951. He studied cello with Tobias Kühne in Vienna and André Navarra in Detmold. After winning prizes in competitions in Geneva, Vienna, and Warsaw, he appeared as a soloist with many leading European orchs. On Aug. 21, 1981, he made his U.S. debut as soloist in the Dvorak Concerto with the Cleveland Orch. at the Blossom Music Center under Sir Colin Davis’s direction. While continuing to pursue his career as a cello virtuoso, he also took up conducting. From 1990 to 1996 he was artistic director of the Northern Sinfonia in Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1995 he became music director of the Winterthur Stadtorchester. He also appeared as a guest conductor with various European orchs. As a cello virtuoso, he maintains a repertoire ranging from Vivaldi to the contemporary era, including a concerto written for him by Henze. He also performs rarely heard scores, including 2 concertos by Vieuxtemps, which he discovered.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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