Lorin Hollander (born July 19, 1944) is an American classical concert pianist. He has performed with virtually all of the major symphony orchestras in the United States and many around the world.[1] A New York Times critic called him in 1964 "the leading pianist of his generation."[2]

Lorin Hollander
Born (1944-07-19) July 19, 1944 (age 80)
Occupationpianist
SpouseTara
Children3

Early life

edit

Lorin Hollander was born in New York City into a Jewish family. His father, Max Hollander, was associate concertmaster of the NBC Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini.[1] Lorin Hollander was a child prodigy and gave his first public performance at age five playing excerpts of Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, and at age eleven, he made his Carnegie Hall debut with the National Orchestral Association.[1][3]

He studied with Eduard Steuermann[4] from age eight and took courses at what is now the Juilliard Pre-College at age eleven. His subsequent mentors were Max Rudolf and Leon Fleisher[5] and he spent two summers at Marlboro working with Rudolf Serkin. He also worked periodically with Olga Stroumillo.[6] He transferred from public school to Professional Children's School when he was thirteen, from which he graduated at sixteen.[7]

Musical career

edit

Beginning in 1959, Hollander toured regularly, performing as soloist with symphonies and in recital around the United States and Canada. He made a last-minute substitution for Van Cliburn as soloist with the San Antonio Symphony at age 14.[8] In the same year, Hollander made his international debut with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He also began making appearances on national television, including The Perry Como Show,[9] The Bell Telephone Hour, and the following year on The Ed Sullivan Show.[10] He began making critically acclaimed recordings for RCA in 1958. In 1961 he performed with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Leonard Bernstein,[11] and appearances with conductors such as Copland, Haitink, Leinsdorf, Levine, Mehta, Monteux, Ormandy, Ozawa, Previn, Schwarz and Szell continued throughout his career.[12]

Hollander was the only soloist on the World Tour of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra with conductor Max Rudolf in 1966 presented by the Department of State.[13] His appearances in Europe began in 1965, when he made a recording in London of Aram Khachaturian's piano concerto and Ernest Bloch's Scherzo Fantasque with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor André Previn. In 1968 he debuted with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Hollander has also performed with the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Washington's National Symphony, and internationally with the London Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, ORTF and New Tokyo Philharmonic.[12]

In 1969 Hollander gave the first public classical recital using the Baldwin Electronic Concert Grand at the Fillmore East, a venue that usually hosted rock concerts, where he hoped to expose his young contemporaries to classical music. The amplified piano was chosen because of the hall's unsatisfactory acoustics. Hollander played pieces by Debussy, Bach, and Prokofiev, and himself.[14] In 1971 he was the first classical pianist to give street concerts in East Harlem and in Queens, under the auspices of the Department of Cultural Affairs.[15]

Hollander premiered Norman Dello Joio's Fantasy and Variations[16] and the RCA recording with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Erich Leinsdorf conducting was nominated for a Grammy in 1964.[17] Other premieres of new classical works related to Hollander's career include Gunther Schuller's Concerto for 3 Hands, which was written for Hollander and Leon Fleisher (1990).[18]

Among Hollander's students is the American composer Richard Danielpour.[19]

Educator

edit

Hollander is also known for his advocacy of the arts in education; he has testified before the U.S. Congress and many state legislatures and created some of the first models of community outreach and university residencies for the National Endowment of the Arts, American Symphony Orchestra League, and the National Association for Music Education (formerly Music Educators National Conference).[20] Hollander was an advisor to the U.S. Office of the Gifted and Talented, the World Congress on the Gifted, and the Commission on Presidential Scholars.[21] A special educational session with students from Philadelphia's Edison High, then an inner city school, was taped for an hour-long NET-TV special in 1970 titled Up Against the Wall.[22] Hollander was a member of the Rockefeller Panel on the Arts, Education and Americans for the American Council for the Arts in Education and in 1977 a panel report "Coming to Our Senses"[23] was published.

He has also worked with organizations including the Social Science Research Council, the International Federation of Music Therapy, International Transpersonal Association, and the American Psychiatric Association.[20]

In recognition of Hollander's work in arts education, the Tennessee Arts Academy, an arts in education program of the Tennessee Department of Education, created the Lorin Hollander Award, which is given to a Tennessean whose influence has benefited arts education.[24]

Awards and recognitions

edit

Hollander has received honorary doctoral degrees from the University of Maine, Buena Vista College and Ithaca College. The Institute for Music and Neurologic Function recognized Lorin Hollander with the 2003 Music Has Power Award for his advocacy of music and healing.[25] The award is given for: significant accomplishments by exceptional individuals who have brought new understanding to the use of the power of music to awaken and heal. He is an honorary Fellow of the Joseph Campbell Foundation.

Personal life

edit

Hollander is the father of three sons, Jesse, Joshua and Aaron. He resides in Mid Coast Maine with his wife, Tara.

Selected discography

edit
  • Discovering the Piano, A Guide to Piano Playing: 22 Favorites for Students of All Ages RCA Camden (1958)
  • Polonaise, Lorin Hollander, Pianist RCA Camden (1959)
  • Dello Joio, "Fantasy and Variation" and Ravel "Concerto in G," Boston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf, Conductor, RCA Victor (1963)
  • Prokofieff Piano Concerto No. 5, Lorin Hollander, Violin Concerto No. 1, Erick Friedman, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Leinsdorf, Conductor RCA Victor (1964)
  • Khachaturian Piano Concerto / Bloch Scherzo Fantasque Royal Philharmonic Orchestra – André Previn, Conductor, RCA Victor (1965)
  • Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition RCA Victor (1965)
  • A Lorin Hollander Concert – Bach: Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring; Beethoven: "Tempest" Sonata; Brahms: Intermezzo in B-flat minor; Schumann: Arabeske, RCA Victor (1966)
  • Lorin Hollander at the Fillmore East - Prokofiev: Sonata No. 7; Bach: Partita No. 6; Debussy: "Fireworks"; Hollander: Toccata, "Up Against the Wall," Angel (1969)
  • Copland "Piano Concerto," Lorin Hollander with the Seattle Symphony, Gerard Schwarz, Conductor, Delos (1995), reissued by Naxos (2012)

Television and film

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Asséo Griliches, Diane (2008). Teaching Musicians: A Photographer's View. Bunker Hill Publishing. ISBN 9781593730604. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  2. ^ Klein, Howard (1964-08-17). "Music: Lenox Weekend; Leinsdorf and Ozawa Conduct Concerts by Boston Symphony at Tanglewood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  3. ^ "Pianist, 11, and a 14-year-old Violinist Play in Orchestral Association Concert". The New York Times. 1956-01-11. p. 34. ProQuest 113598591.
  4. ^ "Edward and Clara Steuermann collection, 1922-1981 (Biographical Sketch)". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  5. ^ Fleisher, Leon; Midgette, Anne (2011). My Nine Lives: A Memoir of Many Careers in Music. Random House. p. 255. ISBN 9780767931373. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  6. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (2001). Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Schirmer Books. ISBN 9780028655710. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  7. ^ "Professional Children's School Notable Alumni". Professional Children's School. Archived from the original on 2015-07-06. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  8. ^ McPhail, Claire (1967-01-08). "Musical Notes: Lorin Hollander to Appear in Concert". The News and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  9. ^ a b Macfarlane, Malcolm; Crossland, Ken (2009). Perry Como: A Biography and Complete Career Record. McFarland. ISBN 9780786486571. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  10. ^ a b c d "Lorin Hollander". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  11. ^ Schonberg, Harold C. (1961-04-08). "Music: A Young Pianist; Lorin Hollander, 16, Plays Khatchaturian". The New York Times. p. 13. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  12. ^ a b "Lorin Hollander, Bios, Pictures, Albums - Naxos Classical Music". Naxos Records. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  13. ^ "4th Concert Set by Cincinnatians; Program Tonight to Include World Tour Repertory". The New York Times. 1966-03-17. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  14. ^ Henahan, Donal (1969-02-24). "Hollander Plays Electronic Piano; Baldwin Grand Passes in Its First Public Test". The New York Times. p. 30. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  15. ^ Henahan, Donal (1971-07-08). "Hollander Plays Outdoor Recital in Harlem". The New York Times. p. 28. Retrieved 2013-10-27.
  16. ^ Dumm, Robert (1963-02-16). "Leinsdorf, Symphony Glory in 'Heldenleben'". The Boston Globe. p. 12. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  17. ^ "Grammy Award Nominees 1964 - Grammy Award Winners 1964". Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  18. ^ Patterson, Donald L. (1999). One Handed: A Guide to Piano Music for One Hand. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 220. ISBN 9780313311796. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  19. ^ "Richard Danielpour". New Music Online USA. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  20. ^ a b "Memories and Visions of Transformative Education Through Music - an April 2005 Interview with Lorin Hollander" (PDF). Journal for Music-In-Education. 1. The New England Conservatory and The Music-In-Education National Consortium (MIENC): 23–34. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-24. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  21. ^ Hollander, Lorin (1991). "Music, the Creative Process, and the Path of Enlightenment". The Educational Forum. 55 (2): 123–133. doi:10.1080/00131729109335634.
  22. ^ De Lerma, Dominique-René De Lerma (1973-06-30). Reflections on Afro-American music. Kent State University Press. p. 42. ISBN 9780873381352. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  23. ^ Coming to our senses: the significance of the arts for American education: a panel report. McGraw-Hill. 1977. pp. 334. ISBN 9780070023604.
  24. ^ "Tennessee Arts Academy - Academy Award Recipients". Tennessee Arts Academy. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  25. ^ "2003 Music Has Power Awards". Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  26. ^ "The Merv Griffin Show Season 7 Episode 32, September 30, 1969". Retrieved 2013-11-11.
edit