BIOGRAPHY

American violinist Madalyn Parnas has firmly established her place on the concert stage as both a brilliant and charismatic soloist and a gifted chamber musician with a rare and exceptional sensitivity. Born in 1991 this young artist has already performed more than forty concertos in the US with orchestra, and is now preparing for her upcoming Russian, Swiss, and French debuts.

With equal passion Madalyn has devoted her energy to chamber music performing with sister cellist Cicely as duo parnas since 1997. Their extraordinary achievements include winning 1st prize in international chamber music competition at Carnegie Hall, releasing two internationally acclaimed CDs, and performing 21st century compositions written for them by award-winning composers. Of one such piece played in Symphony Space, a New York Times review read, "The duo parnas gave the piece an electrifying reading, couching it in a lush tone and executing its complex interplay with pinpoint precision." Lifelong study of piano trio literature prepared Madalyn and Cicely for collaboration with the great artist Peter Serkin which began in 2007. Mr. Serkin impressed with their "rich, thoughtful approach..." and the "purity of their playing" began performing numerous concerts with them as the Parnas/Serkin Trio shortly thereafter.

Madalyn’s consummate musicianship was clearly evident at an early age. Singing in a children’s choir at age four, she was recognized for her perfect pitch memory. By seven she had played Bach’s fifteen two-part inventions on piano and received the highest rating at a NYSSMA adjudication. At ten performing on violin, she won 1st prize at the Berkshire Merit Competition, an award usually reserved for high school seniors. Madalyn has been featured in numerous national magazines and newspapers, and on many radio programs including WQXR’s "McGraw-Hill Young Artist Showcase" and NPR’s "From the Top." The critics have dubbed Madalyn "a dazzler" "a show-stopper" "a musical phenom." Highlights of the 2010-2011 season include performances of the Barber Violin Concerto, Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto #2, and the Brahms Double, and chamber music concerts in Sedona AZ, Ann Arbor MI, New York NY, Lenox MA, and elsewhere.

Madalyn, a recipient of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music Artistic Excellence Award, is a graduate student in the prestigious Artist Diploma Program studying with Jaime Laredo. A former student of James Buswell at NEC, Miss Parnas graduated summa cum laude in Music and French from The College of Saint Rose. Madalyn is the granddaughter of legendary cellist Leslie Parnas, winner of the Tchaikovsky Competition and charter member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. She performs on a 1715 Alessandro Gagliano violin made in Naples.

Last updated: 5/16/2010

REVIEWS

"The duo parnas [...] gave the piece an electrifying reading, couching it in a lush tone and executing its complex interplay with pinpoint precision."

-- Allan Kozinn, The New York Times

“Remember the name Madalyn Parnas!  Surely, [she] is destined for a long and successful career on the concert stage.”

-- Times Herald Record

“It truly was a breathtaking moment. Each soloist played with a flair and zest that seemed way beyond their years, and the sound quality and intonation was truly extraordinary. The result was a resounding standing ovation from the delighted crowd.”

-- Mid-Hudson Times

“teenaged musical phenom” who “showed strong rhythmic precision… captured the lyrical dance… played with much feeling and musicality.. and was not afraid to soar.”

-- Schenectady Daily Gazette

"...the display of artistry on the part of the soloists was breath-taking."

-- Cooperstown Freeman’s Journal

“Violinist Madalyn Parnas is well on her way to a significant career, displaying a remarkably high degree of maturity and technical mastery while still in her early teens.”

-- Arizona Daily Sun

“ability to dazzle the audience with breathtaking dexterity achieved with effortless grace… technical virtuosity… emotional musicality far beyond her age.”

-- Times Community Papers

“Parnas executed with poise and mastery. Polyphonics of the andante were in hand and easily spent, and notes drawn in her instrument's highest tessatura carried with ghostly effect. A young mistress of the violin...”

-- Kingston Daily Freeman

"...the young players have adventuresome tastes and a meaty sound. ...there's a haunting and sustained intensity to the Ravel Sonata and a classical elegance to the Handel Passacaglia. But the heart of the record is in the opening duos by Zoltan Kodaly and Alexander Tcherepnin. Both works have a gritty intensity that's leavened by the insightful and passionate performances."

-- Joseph Dalton, Times Union