Paul Wiancko
bespectacled man with long dark hair wearing jean jacket and sea foam graphic t-shirt
Paul Wiancko in Adelaide, 2023
Background information
Born1983
San Clemente, CA
Genres
Occupation(s)Composer, cellist
Years active1988–present
Member ofKronos Quartet, Owls, Ayane & Paul
Formerly ofHarlem Quartet
Websitepaulwiancko.com

Paul Wiancko (born 1983) is an American composer and cellist of the Kronos Quartet.

Early life and education

Paul Kenji Wiancko was born in San Clemente, California. He began playing the cello at age 5 and composed his first piece at age 8.[1] After high school, he moved to Los Angeles to freelance while earning cello performance degrees with Ronald Leonard from the University of Southern California and the Colburn School. While in school, Wiancko converted his dormitory room into a production studio,[1] where he arranged and recorded strings for bands like Yellowcard and Veruca Salt. From 2009 to 2011, Wiancko attended the Marlboro Music Festival[2] where he performed with Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, and members of the Juilliard and Guarneri Quartets.

Career

Wiancko came to international attention in 2007 when he tied for 2nd Prize in the Lutoslawski International Cello Competition,[3] which led to his playing the Witold Lutosławski Cello concerto with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2009, Wiancko moved to New York City and shortly thereafter joined the Harlem Quartet,[4] with whom he performed for three years. During that time, Wiancko toured extensively with Chick Corea, and appears on Corea's albums The Continents and Hot House, the latter of which won a Grammy in 2013. Wiancko also performed with Etta James at the Hollywood Bowl and Stanley Clarke at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

From 2009 to 2023, Wiancko appeared as guest cellist with Eighth Blackbird, Mark Morris Dance Group,[5] Metropolis Ensemble,[6] TAK ensemble, Roomful of Teeth, Parker Quartet, NOVUS NY, and East Coast Chamber Orchestra. Wiancko is a member of the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, and has collaborated extensively with Jóhann Jóhannsson[7] and Max Richter,[8] including giving the North American premiere of Richter's Sleep at SXSW in 2018.[9]

In 2011, Wiancko founded Big Purple Box, a recording studio in Brooklyn, New York, where he arranged and recorded strings for numerous artists, including Norah Jones and Wye Oak.

In October 2023, Wiancko was named Spoleto Festival USA's next Charles E. and Andrea L. Volpe Director of Chamber Music, debuting in the role in the 2024 season. Wiancko’s appointment marks the first time in the Festival’s history that the standing director is both a performer and composer.

Owls

Owls recording in New York City, 2021
Owls recording in New York City, 2021

In 2019, Wiancko—along with violinist Alexi Kenney, violist Ayane Kozasa, and cellist Gabriel Cabezas—founded Owls, a quartet-collective described as a "dream group"[10] by The New York Times and noted for its "unusual" make up, consisting of two cellists instead of two violinists.

Kronos Quartet

In 2023, Paul Wiancko became the newest member of the Kronos Quartet,[11] succeeding cellist Sunny Yang. Kronos' Artistic Director David Harrington stated of the transition, "We look forward to soaring into the future with the catalytic, super-charged vitality of Paul’s playing. It will be so much fun to explore the vast world of music together with Paul."[11] Wiancko first collaborated with the quartet in 2018, when Kronos commissioned Wiancko to compose a work for their 50 for the Future initiative.[12] From 2019 to 2020, Wiancko served as Kronos' guest cellist during Yang's maternity leave.

Composition

In 2013, the Parker Quartet commissioned Wiancko's first concert work, Strange Beloved Land.[13] Wiancko has since composed works for the Kronos Quartet, St. Lawrence String Quartet, Aizuri Quartet,[14] Attacca Quartet, Calder Quartet, Susanna Phillips,[15] Alisa Weilerstein,[16] Ayane Kozasa,[17] yMusic,[18] Alexi Kenney,[19] and others. In 2016, Wiancko composed the score for the crime drama feature film Heartlock, as well as a Mars exploration-based work for solo piano commissioned by scientist and NASA project leader Peter Smith.[20]

Wiancko has been composer-in-residence at Spoleto Festival USA,[1] Music from Angel Fire, Twickenham Fest,[15] Portland Chamber Music Festival, Newburyport Chamber Music Festival,[20] Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts,[14] and the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival. In 2018, Wiancko received the S&R Foundation Washington Award[21] for his work as a composer. In 2022, he was named one of The Washington Post's "22 for '22: Composers and Performers to Watch."

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Paul Wiancko Brings World Premiere, Widely-Influenced Style to Chamber Music Series", South Carolina Public Radio, 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  2. ↑ Cicely M. Eastman, "Peter, Paul and Judith!", Brattleboro Reformer, 2015-05-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  3. ↑ "VI Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition, 2007". Retrieved 2010-05-12.
  4. ↑ "Cellist Paul Wiancko Joins Harlem Quartet", Sciolino Artist Management, 2010-09-27. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  5. ↑ Alastair Macaulay, "Dance Review: A Romp Through The Barn", The New York Times, 2011-08-19. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  6. ↑ David Allen, "6 Classical Concerts to See in N.Y.C.", The New York Times, 2019-11-05. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  7. ↑ Liz Cearns, "ACME Performs with Blonde Redhead, Jóhann Jóhannsson, and More", Broadway World, 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  8. ↑ Harrison Tunggal, "Max Richter politicizes melancholy at Zellerbach Hall", The Daily Californian, 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. ↑ Lars Gotrich, "South X Lullabies: Max Richter", NPR Music, 2018-03-17. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  10. ↑ Seth Colter Walls, "Review: With Owls, Classical Is Alive and Well and Living in a Crypt", The New York Times, 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  11. 1 2 "Kronos Welcomes New Cellist Paul Wiancko", Kronos Performing Arts Association, 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  12. ↑ "50 For The Future: Paul Wiancko", Kronos Performing Arts Association, 2022-11-09. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  13. ↑ Jeff Kaliss, "Paul Wiancko, Kronos Quartet’s New Cellist, Is Also A Composer", San Francisco Classical Voice, 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
  14. 1 2 "Going On About Town - Caramoor: Aizuri Quartet, Pacifica Quartet", The New Yorker, 2016-05-21. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  15. 1 2 Michael Huebner, "Twickenham Fest Expands to Five Concerts, Brings Array of Musicians to Huntsville", ArtsBHAM, 2015-08-24. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  16. ↑ Katherine Zehnder, "UCSB Arts & Lectures to present U.S. premiere of 'Fragments'", Santa Barbara News Press, 2023-02-14. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  17. ↑ "Ayane Kozasa, viola and Amy Yang, piano", Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  18. ↑ Madison Bloom, "6 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Tame Impala, Katie Gately, yMusic, and More", Pitchfork, 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  19. ↑ "World Premiere Recording of Paul Wiancko's 'X Suite for Solo Violin'", The Violin Channel, 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  20. 1 2 "Chamber Music Artists", Methow Arts, 2015-03-13. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  21. ↑ "The S&R Washington Award Winners", 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
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