Viola competition jurist Stephanie Baer is the Director of Strings and Instrumental Performance at NYU’s Steinhardt School. As a professional violist, she has recorded with Philip Glass, John Adams, and Steve Reich and was the principal violist for “The Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway as well as performing with the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
When did you start at NYU?
I came to NYU in 2002 when they brought me in to Steindhardt to start a music performance program. Before I came to NYU, the music program was mostly focused on composition, music business, music technology – not performing.
How do you know Kristina Fialová?
We organized a Karen Tuttle Masterclass at NYU Prague, taught by American violists who had studied with Tuttle and knew her innovative approach to the instrument. One year Kristina came to the class. She was planning a trip to New York at the time, so I invited her to Steindhardt to teach her own masterclass. Kristina is one of the up-and-coming Czech players – among the best players in Europe.
How did the idea for the competition come about?
A lot of viola competitions in Europe have gone defunct in recent years. They had a tremendous influence on Kristina, so she decided that she wanted to make something happen here.
And why is it named after Nedbal?
He is a forgotten composer – he started as a violist and then a conductor. For her PhD, Kristina did a survey of Czech composers, and she came across the work of Nedbal. She felt like it was a shame that he was so little known and wanted to bring his work back to the public eye. All of the participants in the competition have to perform a short Nedbal composition.
We have had a music program at NYU Prague since 2005. What impact does studying here have on your students?
Prague has a culture of classical music – they play the Moldau as you get off the plane, and all the Czechs are singing along, with tears in their eyes. It’s part of the society, a part of the education. To be in this country, history is all around you, and classical music is revered.
At a certain point of one’s own musical training, it’s important to have different influences, to open you up to greater musical possibilities. And one of the great advantages of coming to Europe is to see the architecture, to live in it. It’s important for students to understand the connections between disciplines, to understand a culture’s history. Czechs have a particular style of music that you don’t encounter anywhere else – more gentle, more singing.