“It was the concept that drew me to the new CD ‘Ciaconna: The Bass of Time,’ from Crier Records, but it was the young violinist Robyn Bollinger who held me captive.”
— The New York Times
As a performer, collaborator, and educator, I strive to find new ways for audiences to engage with classical music.
For me, every moment is an opportunity to inform and empower my listeners, and it has long been a mission of mine to provide stimulating context that emotionally connects people with the music, the composers, and myself as a performer.
My critically acclaimed programs use a novel concert format incorporating live performance, documentary storytelling, and first-person narrative to provide an accessible, education, and personal musical experience. I am deeply proud of this work and hope you will stay tuned for further projects to come.
— Robyn Bollinger
Projects
PAGANINI
Project Paganini explores the life and times of violin virtuoso Niccolo Paganini through the lens of his infamous 24 Caprices and examines Paganini’s relevance in today’s world. Weaving together live performances of these jaw-dropping works with multi-media historical presentations and live personal narratives, Project Paganini tells the dramatic story of one man’s triumphs, mistakes, and quest for greatness. Project Paganini was made possible with generous support from the New England Conservatory Entrepreneurial Musicianship Fund.
CIACCONA
CIACCONA: The Bass of Time offers works spanning three centuries by four composers: Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber's Passacaglia; Johann Sebastian Bach's Ciaccona from Partita No. 2 in d minor; Béla Bartók's Tempo di Ciaccona from Sonata for Solo Violin; and Luciano Berio's Sequenza VIII. CIACCONA tells the story of one of music’s most ancient compositional ideas – the development of a simple repeating bass line – through the lens of solo violin repertoire.
Recorded as a CD and a DVD at the Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts. Label: Crier Records.
CIACCONA: The Bass of Time was made possible with generous support from the prestigious Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund.
ENCORE
Encore! Just One More chronicles the development of the encore as an artistic practice, experiencing each encore-piece as a reflection of its time. Tracing the threads of virtuosity, identity, legacy, and innovation, Encore! contrasts visionary movements of Bach and Paganini with nationally inspired music of Wieniawski and Sarasate, nostalgic crowd-pleasers of Kreisler and Tchaikovsky, and under-appreciated gems of Locatelli, Schnittke, Boulanger, Charlie Chaplin, Florian ZaBach, and more.
Still in development, Encore! currently exists with an accompanying spoken-word narrative. The program will be available for touring in coming seasons. Encore! Just One More has been made possible with the generous support of Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington, D.C.