(Stefan Jackiw)
On Sunday, July 28, High Desert Chamber Music (HDCM) is launching a new series, the HDCM Celebrity Recitals, brought to you by Pahlisch Homes. We’ll present Stefan Jackiw, one of America’s foremost violinists, who will make his Central Oregon debut! Stefan spoke to me about his musical life, some of his favorite compositions, and his surprise connection to Bend.
Stefan was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Both of his parents were physics professors (now retired); his mother at Boston University and his father at MIT. Stefan said he grew up listening to music. “My parents were music lovers and we always had classical music playing on the radio and in the car.” For Stefan’s fourth birthday, some family friends gave him a violin. His parents later enrolled him in some Suzuki lessons at a nearby music school and his interest in the violin blossomed from there.
Stefan told me he didn’t always want to be a professional musician. “It kind of just happened. By the time I was a teenager, I was deeply in love with playing the violin and music in general.” He enjoyed everything about musical life — studying music, enjoying music, creating friendships through youth orchestras and summer camps, and the never-ending challenge of playing the violin. By the time he was 16, he knew that he was destined to become a professional violinist.
When asked about some of his favorite repertoire, Stefan is very passionate about the music of Brahms. “I think I feel closest to the music of Brahms,” he told me. “His music seems to be human to me: the longing, the acceptance, the warmth, the quiet sadness.” His desert island work is Brahms’ Violin Sonata No. 1, which will close his program. He told me that it is a piece he learned in college and that he feels it is one of Brahms’ most nostalgic pieces, as well as being one of his saddest and also most tender works. In addition to Brahms, Stefan shared that he would also be performing works by Estonian composer Arvo Part, George Frederic Handel, Conrad Tao, and Sergei Prokofiev. “The program will cover a huge timespan.” Stefan also mentioned that while all the pieces are written in different time periods and in different styles, there are some common themes or threads that tie the works together and should make for a very engaging program.
Stefan has spent a lot of time in Oregon, but this will be his first time in Bend. He does, however, have a surprise connection to Bend — he was classmates with HDCM Board President Ethan Gray. He and Ethan were very involved in the musical life at Harvard and they played in the Harvard-Radcliffe orchestra together.
Please join us on Sunday, July 28 at 4pm at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for Stefan’s thrilling recital! This concert is brought to you by Pahlisch Homes and you can join Stefan for a concert preview at 3:15pm. Tickets are available through High Desert Chamber Music by phone or online. Come hear the music!