Duet: And Two to Carry Your Soul Away Sidebar 2: The Musicians

Sidebar 2: The Musicians

Ida Levin (violin) was born in Santa Monica, California. She began her violin studies at age three, and made her professional debut with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at age 10. The recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a former Levintritt Artist, Levin was invited by Rudolf Serkin to appear with him in a joint recital for President and Mrs. Reagan, broadcast by PBS as In Performance at the White House. She made her Carnegie Hall debut as soloist with the American Symphony Orchestra, and appeared as soloist with the New York String Orchestra under Alexander Schneider at both Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center.

In recital, Levin has appeared at the 92nd Street Y, the Kennedy Center, and in major cities throughout the United States. She has also performed in England, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Israel. Most recently, she gave her debut recital at London's Wigmore Hall and gave the Czech premier of the Korngold Concerto.

A longtime participant at the Marlboro Music Festival, Levin takes part annually in Open Chamber Music in Cornwall, England, is a member of the Boston Chamber Music Society, and is a regular guest with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and Houston Da Camera. She has given master classes worldwide, has been on the faculties of Harvard University and the European Mozart Academy, and currently teaches regularly at the Sándor Végh International Chamber Music Academy in Prague. Levin has recorded for Philips, EMI, Dynamic, Music Masters, and Nonesuch, and has written for Strings magazine.

Diane Walsh (piano), winner of the Munich ARD International Piano Competition and the Salzburg International Mozart Competition, has toured throughout North and South America, Europe, and Russia. Young Concert Artists presented her in her New York recital debut, and she has since appeared in every major concert hall in New York City, and given acclaimed recitals in Chicago, Boston, Washington, San Francisco, London, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam, Brussels, Leningrad, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Warsaw, Salzburg, and Prague.

She has been a concerto soloist with the radio symphonies of Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart, the San Francisco Symphony under Seiji Ozawa, the Indianapolis and St. Louis symphonies, and orchestras in Brazil, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Russia. She was a prizewinner at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where she also garnered the Chamber Music Prize.

Walsh's numerous other honors include the Naumburg Award for Chamber Music, the Concert Artists Guild Award, the top prizes in the Bach Competition in Washington, the University of Maryland International Competition, and the Busoni Competition in Italy. She appears at many summer festivals, including Marlboro, Santa Fe, Bard, Caramoor, Music from Salem, Eastern Shore, and the Chopin Festival in Marienbad. She has been a guest artist with the Brentano, Lydian, and Mendelssohn string quartets, the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble, and St. Luke's Chamber Ensemble.

Diane Walsh can be heard on the following record labels: Nonesuch, Music and Arts, Koch, CRI, Biddulph, Newport Classics, Book-of-the-Month Records, and, now, Stereophile.

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