Hailed for profound musical expression and artistic sensitivity, Andrew Kohji Taylor is expanding an international reputation by captivating audiences with probing musical insight, luminous tone, expressive phrasing and technical mastery. Inevitably, audiences are drawn into his passionate devotion to music.
The Boston Globe writes, “Though he has technique to burn he wears it lightly,” and praises his “gorgeous virtuosity” and “sheer scrupulousness of playing.”
In a review of his Washington D.C. debut recital, The Washington Post deems him “exceptionally soulful,” and for a recent performance at the Smithsonian Museum, the Post notes his “fine-tuned perceptive powers and obvious joy of music making.”
Born in Boston, Mr. Taylor began the violin at the age of four and at nine began studying with renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay who remained his teacher until the end of High School. The late Henryk Szerying noticed Taylor’s talent at a young age and became his mentor for many years. Taylor has also worked with Masuko Ushioda at the New England Conservatory of Music, Syoko Aki at Yale University and Uwe Martin Haiberg at the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin.
Mr. Taylor has given solo recitals in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington DC.He has appeared throughout Europe as a soloist with conductor Daniel Harding and has toured extensively with the Prague Virtuosi, the Janacek Chamber Orchestra and the Tokyo Vivaldi Ensemble.He made his New York concerto debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with Gerard Schwarz and The New York Chamber Symphony, and has recently given a recital at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival.In May of 2008 he performed at Boston’s symphony hall with the Boston Pops orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart.
Highly sought after as a chamber musician, Mr. Taylor can be heard regularly at music festivals including the Marlboro music festival, the Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Music Festival, and has toured parts of the United States with the “Charles Wadsworth and Friends” series.His quartet in Berlin was selected by Henle publishing to present the late quartets of Beethoven in a series of several concerts in Germany, and was featured by the Berlin Philharmonic to play one of Hindemith’s quartets as part of the composer’s 100th birthday celebration.The quartet is currently not active and at their last concert sponsored by Dresdner Bank a prominent Berlin newspaper noted that, “one came to the conclusion that a further cooperation (of this ensemble) would surely promote them into the ranks of the top-class quartets”.Presently second violinist Christoph Von der Nahmer is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic and cellist Manuel Von der Nahmer is a member of the Munich Philharmonic.Recently, Mr. Taylor has been invited on several occasions to participate in Seiji Ozawa’s chamber orchestra in Mito Japan.
Taylor is a frequent guest of Boston’s WGBH radio and his recitals have been heard on NPR’s “Performance Today,” NHK Japan, WFMT Chicago, WETA Washington DC, and “Voice of America.” He was recently featured on WCVB television, in a special program titled, “Guys on the Rise”, and in a documentary about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.He has appeared on NHK television performing the Bruch G minor violin concerto and in a documentary featuring Mr. Taylor playing in schools for Japanese children who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to hear classical music.
As an exclusive artist for the Warner Classic label, his first three discs were released in Asia to overwhelming critical acclaim. Tokyo’s Ongaku No Tomo magazine wrote of his debut recording featuring Prokofiev, Janácek and Debussy with pianist Max Levinson, “limpid pure beauty – so luminous in such polished form – one feels that he is already establishing his own world of music.”Recently Warner classics released two recordings featuring works for violin and a few selections from Mr. Taylor’s recordings were selected to be presented on these compilations alongside violinists, Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin.He has also recorded for other labels including a concerto CD with Gerard Schwarz for the MMC label, a recording with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman featuring the works of Jonathan Sacks (Hollywood film composer of Seabisquit, the X files I want to believe amongst others) for Navona records and a recording on Boston Records playing the Bach concerto for oboe and violin with former Boston Symphony Orchestra oboist Alfred Genovese for Boston Records.
Andrew Kohji Taylor, Violin
Biography
Hailed for profound musical expression and artistic sensitivity, Andrew Kohji Taylor is expanding an international reputation by captivating audiences with probing musical insight, luminous tone, expressive phrasing and technical mastery. Inevitably, audiences are drawn into his passionate devotion to music.
The Boston Globe writes, “Though he has technique to burn he wears it lightly,” and praises his “gorgeous virtuosity” and “sheer scrupulousness of playing.”
In a review of his Washington D.C. debut recital, The Washington Post deems him “exceptionally soulful,” and for a recent performance at the Smithsonian Museum, the Post notes his “fine-tuned perceptive powers and obvious joy of music making.”
Born in Boston, Mr. Taylor began the violin at the age of four and at nine began studying with renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay who remained his teacher until the end of High School. The late Henryk Szerying noticed Taylor’s talent at a young age and became his mentor for many years. Taylor has also worked with Masuko Ushioda at the New England Conservatory of Music, Syoko Aki at Yale University and Uwe Martin Haiberg at the Hochschule der Kunste in Berlin.
Mr. Taylor has given solo recitals in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, and Washington DC. He has appeared throughout Europe as a soloist with conductor Daniel Harding and has toured extensively with the Prague Virtuosi, the Janacek Chamber Orchestra and the Tokyo Vivaldi Ensemble. He made his New York concerto debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall with Gerard Schwarz and The New York Chamber Symphony, and has recently given a recital at Avery Fisher Hall as part of the Mostly Mozart Festival. In May of 2008 he performed at Boston’s symphony hall with the Boston Pops orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart.
Highly sought after as a chamber musician, Mr. Taylor can be heard regularly at music festivals including the Marlboro music festival, the Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Music Festival, and has toured parts of the United States with the “Charles Wadsworth and Friends” series. His quartet in Berlin was selected by Henle publishing to present the late quartets of Beethoven in a series of several concerts in Germany, and was featured by the Berlin Philharmonic to play one of Hindemith’s quartets as part of the composer’s 100th birthday celebration. The quartet is currently not active and at their last concert sponsored by Dresdner Bank a prominent Berlin newspaper noted that, “one came to the conclusion that a further cooperation (of this ensemble) would surely promote them into the ranks of the top-class quartets”. Presently second violinist Christoph Von der Nahmer is a member of the Berlin Philharmonic and cellist Manuel Von der Nahmer is a member of the Munich Philharmonic. Recently, Mr. Taylor has been invited on several occasions to participate in Seiji Ozawa’s chamber orchestra in Mito Japan.
Taylor is a frequent guest of Boston’s WGBH radio and his recitals have been heard on NPR’s “Performance Today,” NHK Japan, WFMT Chicago, WETA Washington DC, and “Voice of America.” He was recently featured on WCVB television, in a special program titled, “Guys on the Rise”, and in a documentary about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He has appeared on NHK television performing the Bruch G minor violin concerto and in a documentary featuring Mr. Taylor playing in schools for Japanese children who would not ordinarily have the opportunity to hear classical music.
As an exclusive artist for the Warner Classic label, his first three discs were released in Asia to overwhelming critical acclaim. Tokyo’s Ongaku No Tomo magazine wrote of his debut recording featuring Prokofiev, Janácek and Debussy with pianist Max Levinson, “limpid pure beauty – so luminous in such polished form – one feels that he is already establishing his own world of music.” Recently Warner classics released two recordings featuring works for violin and a few selections from Mr. Taylor’s recordings were selected to be presented on these compilations alongside violinists, Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov and Vadim Repin. He has also recorded for other labels including a concerto CD with Gerard Schwarz for the MMC label, a recording with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman featuring the works of Jonathan Sacks (Hollywood film composer of Seabisquit, the X files I want to believe amongst others) for Navona records and a recording on Boston Records playing the Bach concerto for oboe and violin with former Boston Symphony Orchestra oboist Alfred Genovese for Boston Records.