Mary Brabeck, dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, has announced that pianist Eduardus Halim has been named the inaugural holder of the Sascha Gorodnitzki Faculty Chair in Piano Studies in the School’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions beginning fall 2011.
Mary Brabeck, dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development at New York University, has announced that pianist Eduardus Halim has been named the inaugural holder of the Sascha Gorodnitzki Faculty Chair in Piano Studies in the School’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions beginning fall 2011. The endowed professorship, made possible by a gift from the estate of Virginia Gorodnitzki, was created in recognition of her late husband’s legacy as a musician and teacher.
The gift also establishes the Sascha Gorodnitzki Piano Studio at Steinhardt, which will house materials that celebrate and recognize the pianist’s distinguished career. The materials will provide scholars with a rich archive for research and study into Gorodnitzki’s life and teachings.
“Sascha Gorodnitzki was an internationally acclaimed concert pianist and one of the most sought-after piano teachers in the world,” said Dean Brabeck. “He was a perfectionist who inspired immense loyalty from his students, and we are thrilled to have a faculty chair named in his honor. As both a performer and pedagogue, Eduardus Halim is certain to carry forward Gorodnitzki’s venerable tradition.”
“I am humbled and honored to be given this opportunity, and I look forward to building on the program’s reputation,” said Halim. “I will also strive to continue the Gorodnitzki tradition of communicating the expressive nature of piano as a singing instrument.”
Ronald Sadoff, associate professor of music and music education, was chair of the search committee. He said, “Eduardus honors the pianistic heritage of Sascha Gorodnitzki, bridging virtuosity, temperament, and intelligence.” And Marilyn Nonken, director of piano studies elaborated, “Like Sascha Gorodnitzki, Eduardus Halim offers an important link to a valuable tradition and a distinctive approach to pedagogy and performance.”
Since his 1987 debut, Halim has appeared with such orchestras as the Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic, and Russian National Orchestra. He has given recitals in New York at Alice Tully Hall and the 92nd Street Y, and in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center. His awards and honors include the Young Concert Artists International Auditions as well as the Avery Fisher Career Grant.
Halim's recordings include Presenting Eduardus Halim: A Program of Piano Transcriptions, on the Arabesque label and two discs on the Reservoir Studio Productions label, one featuring the works of Granados and the other devoted to the works of Chopin.