Corey Cerovsek

Cerovsek, Corey

Corey Cerovsek. Violinist, pianist, mathematician, b Vancouver 24 Apr 1972; ARCT 1984, B SC music and mathematics (Indiana) 1987, M MUS (Indiana) 1988, D MUS (Indiana) 1991. Born to Austrian parents who had emigrated to Canada, Cerovsek studied violin for four years with John Loban, and then with Charmian Gadd and Richard Goldner at Western Washington University in Bellingham. Herself a former student of Josef Gingold, Charmian Gadd introduced her young pupil to him in 1984; thus Cerovsek became at 12 years of age the youngest student in the history of Indiana University's music school in Bloomington. There he studied violin, chamber music, and related subjects, also studying piano with Enrica Cavallo. Cerovsek had shown an outstanding talent at a very early age. At the RCMT, he became at 12 the youngest student to receive a gold medal for highest achievement in Canada. Since then, he has been awarded numerous prizes and mentions in national and regional competitions, including winning the Canadian Music Competitions 1979-82. At Indiana University, he was the recipient of the $10,000 scholarship established in honour of Josef Gingold by the Starling Foundation.

Cerovsek made his orchestral debut in 1981 with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then, he has been guest soloist with all major Canadian orchestras and many others in Canada; in the USA he performed with the New World Symphony as well as with the Atlanta, Cincinnati, Denver, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and other orchestras. He made his European debut in 1987 in London and Bristol. Pursuing an international career, he performed under such celebrated conductors as Zubin Mehta, Charles Dutoit, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Andrew Davis, and appeared with major orchestras in Austria, Australia, Berlin, Denmark, Holland, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Prague, and Spain. Cerovsek toured internationally as a recitalist, and was heard at Place des Arts, Washington's Kennedy Centre, the Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, and at festivals throughout North America, Europe and abroad. His sister Katja Cerovsek, a pianist (b Vienna 1 Oct 1969), remained his frequent recital partner and accompanist. About the Cerovseks' New York debut, Strings called the pair "Enormously talented, with unlimited virtuosity, a lovely, full-blooded sound, and uncanny rapport, they projected fiery temperament and exuberance with uninhibited abandon" (Sept 1996).

Although Cerovsek resided in the USA, he returned often to perform in Canada with the Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Winnipeg symphonies, the NACO, and other orchestras.

Recordings

With Katja, Cerovsek in 1987 recorded works by Vitali, Hubay, Sarasate, Kreisler, and several others on RCI 648, which also included Jean Coulthard'sSonata for piano, performed by Katja. His subsequent recorded output, all on the Delos label, included Corey Cerovsek Plays Wieniawski, in 1998 (with Katja; DE 3231); Mozart Adagios, in 1999 (DE 3243); and Russian Soul, in 1999 (with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, DE 3244).

Multi-Disciplinary Activities

An accomplished pianist himself, Cerovsek at times performed concerti on both the violin and the piano in the same recital. He was active in conferences on the interdisciplinary aspects of arts and mathematics.

Honours

Cerovsek was the recipient of the 1992 Virginia P. Moore Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts. The Stradivari Society of Chicago lent him the 1742 "Wieniawski" and the 1735 "ex Sennhauser" Guarneri del Gesù violins (he also performed on an 1838 Pressenda instrument). The violinist was featured on the NBC Tonight Show, PBS television, and the David Frost Show.