Kim Kashkashian

Born in Detroit, Michigan on August 31, 1952, Grammy Award-winner Kim Kashkashian is acknowledged as one of the world’s top violists. Born to Armenian-American parents, her interest in music was spurred by the Armenian folk songs that her father would sing when she was young. At the age of eight, she began playing the violin but switched to the viola four years later while attending the Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Michigan. Kim Kashkashian earned her Bachelor of Music degree from the Peabody Conservatory (Baltimore, Maryland) and a Master of Music degree from the New School of Music (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). As a proponent of contemporary classical music, she has been involved with many recordings over the years as both a solo and chamber music artist. Her recordings include Strauss: Walzer & Polkas (1984), Elegies (1986), Mozart: Sinfonia Concertante (1988), Hindemith: Viola Sonatas (1989), Brahms: Sonatas for Viola and Piano Nos. 1 and 2 (1999), and Kurtág & Ligeti: Music for Viola (2013), which won a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Throughout her career, Kim Kashkashian has collaborated with many artist including Yo-Yo Ma, the Guarneri String Quartet, Alfred Schnittke, and others. She has also been an educator, teaching at the New School of Music in Philadelphia, the Mannes School of Music in New York, and the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington before relocating to Europe and teaching in Germany. Once she returned to the US in 2000, she continued her performing, recording, and teaching career.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.