North by Northwest
Photo: Cliff Coles (1998)
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Formed in 1998, NORTH BY NORTHWEST brings together the exciting musicianship of violinists Kathryn Lucktenberg and Fritz Gearhart. As faculty members at the University of Oregon School of Music and members of the Oregon String Quartet, the duo performs regularly in the Pacific Northwest, in addition to other appearances around the country. Lucktenberg and Gearhart have combined their extensive perfomance experience to collaborate in a repertoire that is widely unexplored. Many of the great composers throughout the ages wrote wonderful works for two violins that are seldom heard. It includes repertoire with and without piano which affords for maximum flexibility of venue.
KATHRYN LUCKTENBERG is an associate professor of violin. Prior to joining the University of Oregon faculty in 1993, she was concertmaster of the Honolulu Symphony for 11 seasons. A fourth-generation violinist, Lucktenberg entered the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age 15. She completed high school there and earned her Bachelor of Music from Curtis in 1980, studying with Jascha Brodsky, Jaime Laredo and Ivan Galamian.
Lucktenberg performed the Barber Violin Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1979. She was a semifinalist in the Indianapolis Violin Competition in 1982 and a semifinalist in the 1986 Carl Flesch International Violin Competition, resulting in an invitation to perform on BBC Radio. Other credits include performances with the Savannah and Augusta Symphonies, the Curtis Orchestra, and as a member of the Kasimir String Quartet on a highly acclaimed tour of England, France, and Italy. She has given recitals at Washington's Kennedy Center and the Musician's Club of New York, and regularly performs at the Grand Teton Music Festival. She has participated in television programs produced by South Carolina Educational Television and National Educational Television.
Lucktenberg has taught master classes at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts at Furman University and at the University of Southern Mississippi, and was on the faculty of the Grand Teton Orchestral Training Seminar. While in Hawaii she co-founded and co-directed the Honolulu Academy of Arts' "Academy Camerata" series. In addition to solo engagements, Lucktenberg concertizes extensively in the Pacific Northwest with the Oregon String Quartet and as a member of the Pacific Trio.
FRITZ GEARHART is among the third generation of professional musicians in his family. His major teachers include Donald Weilerstein and Charles Treger. Mr. Gearhart has performed in major halls around the country, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, the 92nd Street Y, as well as the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center. Three compact discs featuring Mr. Gearhart were released in 1996 on the Koch International, Centaur and Albany labels. All have been met with enthusiastic praise from the press: "Gearhart is a bold assertive player. . .a powerful exponent" (Strad May '97), "Sensitive, intelligent playing" (Orbis Internet June '96), "deeply committed and wholly convincing" (Fanfare September '96).
Mr. Gearhart also maintains a busy performance schedule as soloist and recitalist. Critics and audiences have responded enthusiastically to his performances. "What made the Mozart extraordinary [Concerto #5 in A major] was the beautifully supported airiness of the musical line, the sure sense of purpose and destination as that line evolved, the deft turns of phrase, and the control of tonal coloration. . ." Buffalo News. Mr. Gearhart has often been heard on National Public Radio including live broadcasts on WFMT Chicago and WQXR New York. Mr. Gearhart is currently on the faculty of the University of Oregon School of Music where he is also a member of the Oregon String Quartet.
