Jennifer Kloetzel & Robert Koenig
Biography Jennifer Kloetzel & Robert Koenig
Jennifer Kloetzel
A graduate of The Juilliard School and a Fulbright Scholar, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel has concertized throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. A founding member of the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet, Kloetzel has performed at such renowned venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Chautauqua Institute and the Ravinia Festival, the Lobkowicz Palaces in both Vienna and Prague, as well as prominent colleges and conservatories worldwide.
Kloetzel is noted for her elegant playing and her vibrant tone. She is a sought-after recitalist, performing concerts for San Francisco Performances and on WQXR Radio in New York. A champion of new music, she has received the Copland Award for her work with living American composers and has premiered over 50 works, including five concertos written specifically for her. Upcoming world premieres include sonatas by Richard Aldag and Elena Ruehr and ‘Inferno: Double Concerto for Viola, Cello & Chamber Orchestra’ by Joel Friedman, as well as six ‘companion’ pieces commissioned to pair with the Bach Cello Suites.
Kloetzel has been featured regularly on National Public Radio’s Performance Today, and her performances have been broadcast on radio stations from coast to coast. A passionate recording artist with 36 CD releases to date, recent recordings include the entire cycle of Beethoven Quartets and Brahms Sextets on the Avie label. In 2016, Kloetzel was invited to join the faculty at University of California Santa Barbara, where she is Professor of Cello and serves as Head of both the String and Performance areas.
Robert Koenig
Grammy-nominated pianist Robert Koenig’s career as a collaborative artist and chamber musician has taken him to many of the world’s most important stages including New York’s Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Boston’s Jordan Hall, San Francisco’s Herbst Theater, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, Taiwan’s National Theater, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Paris’s Louvre Museum, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. Recital appearances have included collaborations with musicians such as Augustin Hadelich, Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn, Pamela Frank, Kyoko Takezawa, Esther Yoo, Paul Huang, Roberto Díaz, Zuill Bailey, Jennifer Kloetzel, the Miro and St. Lawrence String Quartets, and members of the Tokyo and Juilliard String Quartets. Koenig’s partnership with legendary late violinist Aaron Rosand resulted in recital tours, in addition to a recorded legacy of live performances. His recordings include a GRAMMY- nominated CD of William Primrose’s Transcriptions for Viola and Piano with violist Roberto Díaz, as well as recordings for Decca, Cedille, Eroica, Ambassador, Centaur, and CRI.
A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Koenig is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He was formerly Professor of Piano and Chamber Music at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Since 2007, Koenig has been Professor and Head of Collaborative Piano at the University of California Santa Barbara, where he also serves as the Chair of the Music Department. His summers are spent at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp where he is Coordinator of Collaborative Piano.
