Fritz Gearhart, Associate Professor
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(541) 346-3886 | gearhart@uoregon.edu
Violinist Fritz Gearhart has performed for audiences from coast to coast. He has appeared in major halls around the country including the Kennedy Center, the 92nd Street Y in NYC, Alice Tully Hall, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie (six times since 1998). He is heard frequently on National Public Radio, including past live broadcasts on WFMT Chicago, WQXR in New York as well as Public Radio’s nationally syndicated program Performance Today. Several compact discs featuring Gearhart have been released in the last few years to rave reviews. A sampling from the press: "...a sizzling performance..." (The Wall Street Journal), "...supple and imaginative..." (The New York Times), "...a superlative evening of musicmaking..." (New York Concert Review), and "Gearhart is a bold assertive player..." (Strad).
Exploring unique and seldom-heard music, Mr. Gearhart has championed the music of American composer Quincy Porter with his 1998 release (Quincy Porter: The Unpublished Manuscripts) for Koch Entertainment. In 2001 he released The Complete Works for Violin by Robert Casadesus (also on Koch) featuring wonderful yet unknown works by this French pianist/composer. Gearhart has premiered several contemporary works written especially for him, including works by award-winning American composers David Crumb and Robert Kyr.
First violinist of the Chester String Quartet in the early 90’s, Gearhart continues to be very active in chamber music and now performs regularly with the Oregon String Quartet, which released two discs on Koch Entertainment: The OSQ and All That Jazz, featuring jazz violinist Diane Monroe, and a disc containing music by African-American composer William Grant Still which Strad Magazine called "Musical Heaven: Oregon String Quartet." Gearhart received his Master's Degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with Donald Weilerstein. Earlier studies at the Hartt School included work with Charles Treger and members of the Emerson Quartet. Mr. Gearhart is currently on the faculty of the University of Oregon School of Music.
