Dances for Four Hands

"The typically thick, folk-influenced sonorities take advantage of the depth of tone in an 1895 Steinway." Keyboard Magazine, February 2002 "...there is much that is authentic in these wonderfully varied, rhythmically charged, and highly emotive performances. One rarely hears them performed so convincingly; in the case of the Dvorák and Brahms Dances, only Katia and Marielle Labèque reach this level..." Fanfare Magazine July/August 2002 The KIPNIS - KUSHNER PIANO DUO was formed in 1995 and made its debut at the New York Musicians' Club, "The Bohemians." Appearances during subsequent seasons have included concerts in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Washington State, and, Washington, D.C. The Duo has been heard in broadcasts over New York's WQXR and WNYC, Boston's WGBH, Pittsburgh's WQED, Los Angeles's KUSC, and seen on cable television in New York. Additionally, the four-hand duo has participated in outreach programs and master classes at schools in over ten states. The October, 1997, issue of Clavier magazine featured the pianists' outreach activities with a cover story. The Kipnis/Kushner Duo was the only North American ensemble invited to perform at the Music in Old Crakow Festival in August, 1997, and in 1998, the Duo toured Brazil, in 2000 Germany. Igor Kipnis Born: September 27, 1930 - Berlin, German Died: January 24, 2002 The distinguished American harpsichordist and fortepianist, Igor Kipnis, is the son of the Russian bass Alexander Kipnis. In 1938 the family moved to the USA, where he took piano lessons with his maternal grandfather, Heniot Levy; after attending the Westport (Connecticut) School of Music, he studied with Thompson and Dart at Harvard University, receiving B.A. in 1952. He also took harpsichord lessons with Valenti. Igor Kipnis made his concert debut as a harpsichordist in a New York radio broadcast in 1959. His formal concert debut followed there in 1962. He taught at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood (summers, 1964-1967). In 1967 he made his first European tour, and subsequently toured throughout the world. He served as an associate professor of fine arts (1971-1975) and artist-in-residence .(1975-1977) at Fairfield University in Connecticut. He also taught and played al the Festival Music Society concerts in Indianapolis and taught at its Early-Music Institute. In 1981 he made his debut as a fortepianist in Indianapolis. He did much to revive the fortepiano. He also promoted interest in modern music. Several contemporary composers, among them Rorem, Rochberg, Richard Rodney Bennett, Kolb, and John McCabe, have written works for him. Karen Kushner Since receiving degrees from Northwestern University (BM, 1980) and the Juilliard School (MM, 1982), Karen Kushner has been active as a piano soloist and chamber player. Performances include Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Ethical Culture Chamber Series, Trinity Church Concert Series, Music at Wave Hill, Kosciuszko Foundation, Chopin Foundation and United Nations in New York City; National Gallery of Art and Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.; Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston; Temple Square Series (Salt Lake City); Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago; and Friends of Music of Fairfield County, Connecticut. She has performed and given master classes at colleges and conservatories in the United States. Summer performances have included Spain (International Festival of Deià in Mallorca), France (L'Académie Internationale d'Été in Nice), Poland (Music in Old Krakòw) and, in the United States, the festivals at Aspen, Newport, Ravinia, Festival of the Atlantic (NJ), Skaneateles Festival (NY), and Strings in the Mountains (CO). She has been interviewed and featured on such radio stations as New York's WQXR, WNCN, and WNYC, Chicago's WFMT, and Boston's WGBH and WBUR, Pittsburgh's WQED, and WGTS, in Washington, D.C. Kushner, currently Associate Professor of Piano at the Conservatory of Music at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, previously taught at the Mannes College of Music as well as at Turtle Bay Music School in New York City. Her own teachers have included Jerome Lowenthal, Jeanne-Marie Darré, Russell Sherman, Herbert Stessin, and at Juilliard, Adele Marcus and William Masselos. She is a member of the New York Musicians' Club, Music Teachers' National Association and the College Music Society. She is sought after as a writer of articles and book reviews (Clavier Magazine), program notes (Carnegie Hall), and liner notes (VAI and Albany Records). Kushner toured internationally with the late Igor Kipnis as a member of the Kipnis-Kushner Duo, and their recordings can be found on the Parnassus and Palatine labels. Her solo two-CD debut recording of the complete Chopin Mazurkas for the Connoisseur Society was received with the greatest critical acclaim and has been highly recommended by such periodicals as Newsday, the New York Daily News, Fanfare, and Stereophile. She subsequently recorded music of Brahms, Chopin, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Liszt for Epiphany Recordings, and music of Kevin Oldham for VAI and Albany Records.