GIDEON: Air for Violin and Piano - performed by the Park Sisters
A live concert performance by violinist Mi-Young Park and pianist Pong-Hi Park of Miriam Gideon’s Air for Violin and Piano; taped at Carnegie Recital Hall in 1979. MIRIAM GIDEON (1906-1996) had a notable career as a composer and music educator. She was born in Greeley, Colorado, on October 23, 1906. She displayed early musical talents, which were encouraged with piano studies. She continued her studies in Boston, with Hans Barth, and with her uncle Henry Gideon, a composer and conductor. After settling in New York City, she continued studies with Lazare Saminsky and Roger Sessions. She also earned a B.A. degree from Boston University, an M.A. from Columbia University and, in 1970, a Doctor of Sacred Music degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America (JTSA). She joined the faculties of Brooklyn College and CUNY, the Manhattan School of Music, and then in 1955 the newly formed Cantors Institute of JTSA. In 1949, Miriam Gideon married writer-educator Frederic Ewen, a colleague at Brooklyn College. She died in 1989. Her roster of over fifty compositions includes selections for full and chamber orchestras, instrumental solos and ensembles, piano music, vocal solos, choral works, cantatas, and a chamber opera. Air for Violin and Piano was composed in 1950. THE PARK SISTERS Mi-Young and Pong-Hi Park were born in Seoul, Korea. While Mi-Young was still in grade school, they began performing together as a violin-piano duo. For fifty years they concertized as the Park Sisters, delighting a wide range of audiences with repertoire spanning over three centuries. A number of their recitals were recorded. Fortunately, some tapes survived and have been digitized for posting on YouTube. As siblings performing together from an early age, they achieved an admirable unity of ensemble and deep level of musicianship. About the Park Sisters: https://parksistersmusic.com/
