Kipnis, Igor

Kipnis, Igor, distinguished American harpsichordist, fortepianist, pianist, and music critic, son of Alex- ander Kipnis; b. Berlin, Sept. 27, 1930. He was taken to the U.S. by his family in 1938, where he received training in piano from his maternal grandfather, Heniot Léevy. After attending the Westport (Conn.) School of Music, he studied with Randall Thompson and Thur-ston Dart at Harvard Univ. (B.A., 1952). He also studied harpsichord with Fernando Valenti. In 1955 he began writing music criticism and record reviews for various publications. He made his concert debut as a harpsichordist on WNYC radio in N.Y. in 1959. His formal concert debut followed at the N.Y.C. Historical Soc. in 1962, and thereafter he made frequent tours of the U.S. and Canada. In 1967 he made his first tour of Europe, and subsequently made regular tours there. He also appeared in South America, Israel, Australia, Russia, and the Far East. He taught at the Berkshire Music Center in Tangle wood (summers, 1964-67). Kipnis was assoc. prof, of fine arts (1971–75) and artist-in-residence (1975–77) at Fairfield (Conn.) Univ. He also played at the Festival Music Soc. in Indianapolis, where he served on the faculty of its Early Music Inst. (summers, 1974-84). In 1981 he made his debut as a fortepianist in Indianapolis. He was made a visiting tutor at the Royal Northern Coll. of Music in Manchester in 1982, and from 1993 to 1996 he was co-artistic director of the Conn. Early Music Festival. In 1992-93 he was host of the syndicated radio program “The Classical Organ.” In 1995 he formed a modern piano, 4-hands duo with Karen Kushner, and subsequently toured widely with her. He became president of the Friends of Music of Fairfield County, Conn., a chamber music soc, in 1995, a position he held until 1999. Kipnis ed. the anthology A First Harpsichord Book (Oxford, 1970; 2^nd ed., 1985). In 1969 he was awarded the Deutsche Schallplatten Preis and in 1993 he received an honorary doctorate from 111. Wesleyan Univ. Kipnis’s vast repertoire ranges from early music to contemporary scores. Among composers who have written works for him are Ned Rorem, George Rochberg, Richard Rodney Bennett, Barbara Kolb, and John McCabe.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire