ARTISTS .
and Harpa in Iceland. He has served as Acting Principal Harpist with the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, and permanent guest artist and substitute harpist with the Iceland Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, Oregon Symphony, Spokane Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Anchorage Symphony. He regularly performs at prestigious summer music festivals including Grand Teton Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival, Lakes Area Music Festival, Deer Valley Music Festival, and McCall Summer Musicfest. He has performed with James Taylor, Kristin Chenoweth, Ben Folds, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Johnny Mathis, Emmanuel Pahud, and other leading musical icons. Matthew participated in a premiere of John Luther Adams’s Become Desert with the Seattle Symphony and joined them on tour with this work. He has recorded with the Seattle Symphony and Utah Symphony. Matthew holds teaching posts as Adjunct Professor of Harp at the University of Portland and Reed College. As a member of the American Harp Society and Vice-President of the Boise Chapter, he gave honorarium recitals with the Connecticut Chapter of the American Harp Society and Lyon & Healy West. Matthew has performed concertos with the Utah Symphony, Boise Philharmonic, Boise Baroque Orchestra, Chamber Music of the Springs, Washington Idaho Symphony, and Nova Chamber Music Series. He received a perfect score for a grant from the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2012. Matthew is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music and Juilliard’s Pre-College and is tremendously grateful for his mentors, especially Deborah Hoffman, former Principal Harpist of the Metropolitan Opera, and Emily Oppenheimer, former Juilliard Pre-College Harp Professor. Matthew is based in Portland, Oregon. ●
Krzysztof Zimowski violin Born in Wroclaw, Poland, violinist Krzysztof Zimowski began his musical studies at the age of 6. He participated in music schools and programs organized by La Federation International des Jeunesses Musicales (International Federation of Young Musicians). He was Concertmaster of the Weikersheim and Bayreuth Symphony Orchestras (Germany), working with Franz Paul Decker (OSM). In 1976, Mr. Zimowski joined the L’Orchestre Mondial des Jeunesses Musicales (World Youth Orchestra) in Brussels and Paris, conducted by maestro Jean Martinon, with extraordinary participation by maestro Henryk Szeryng. He was also appointed Concertmaster of the State Opera Orchestra in Wroclaw while still a student at the Wroclaw Academy of Music. He graduated in 1977 with a Master’s degree (high honors) in violin performance. During this active career as a student and orchestral musician, Mr. Zimowski continued to be a soloist in high demand throughout Poland, the Czech Republic (former Czechoslovakia), and Germany. It was during this time that he became more interested in chamber music, forming many ensembles and enrolling in masterclasses with eminent violinist Henryk Szeryng. Following this intense period of study, Mr. Zimowski entered the competition circuit, garnering third prize in the Karol Szymanowski National Music Competition (Warsaw, 1977). Bolstered by his success, he took the international stage, entering both the Carl Flesch
International Violin Competition (London, 1978) and the 6th J.S. Bach International Violin Competition (Leipzig, 1980). He then enrolled for advanced violin studies at the Morley College of Music in London under the guidance of Simon Goldberg and Perry Hart. In 1981, Mr. Zimowski joined the Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra, receiving critical acclaim for his solo appearance in a concert dedicated to the victims of Mexico City’s earthquake. He was appointed joint-Concertmaster and soloist of the Mexico City Philharmonic when they toured Europe, South America, and the United States, the country which would eventually become his home in 1986. He moved to Albuquerque, where he formed the Helios String Quartet, an ensemblein-residence at the Placitas Artists Series. Mr. Zimowski performed with the Phoenix Symphony, Santa Fe Opera, The Santa Fe Symphony, and Santa Fe Pro Musica. He was also the Concertmaster and soloist of the Chamber Orchestra of Albuquerque. In October 1986, he began his long association with the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra, becoming associate Concertmaster in 1995 and Concertmaster and soloist in 1999. He was a featured soloist, performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, during the NMSO’s 12-city New Mexico tour in 2001. In the 2009 season, he performed the New Mexico premiere of Karol Szymanowski’s First Violin Concerto. He currently serves as Concertmaster of the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Opera Southwest Orchestra. Mr. Zimowski has been awarded the Knight’s Cross Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland. The medal was presented to him by Consul General of Poland at the New Mexico Philharmonic concert on February 28, 2015. The Knight’s Cross is awarded by the President of Poland to Poles, who reside abroad, for their distinguished contributions to international cooperation between Poland and other countries. Mr. Zimowski includes the music of Polish composers on every solo performance. During the summer, Mr. Zimowski performs with the Grant Park Orchestra in the world-renowned Grant Park continued on 16
The New Mexico Philharmonic
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