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Seth Carlin

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Seth Carlin
Born(1945-02-08)February 8, 1945
East Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJuly 28, 2016(2016-07-28) (aged 71)
Mont-de-Marsan, France
Occupation(s)Pianist, music professor
Instrument(s)Piano, fortepiano

Seth Carlin (February 8, 1945 – July 28, 2016) was an American pianist and fortepianist. A student of Morton Estrin, Jules Gentil, Wilhelm Kempff, and Rosina Lhévinne, Carlin was especially noted for his performances of the music of Schubert. He appeared on French, Swedish, Chinese and German national television and radio and performed as soloist with orchestras including the Boston Pops and St. Louis Symphony under such conductors as Leonard Slatkin and Nicholas McGegan.[1] He was a prizewinner in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition, and performed a complete cycle of Schubert piano sonatas in New York broadcast by National Public Radio.

Early life and education

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A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Carlin began playing piano at the age of 6.[2] At the age of 9, he made his public debut on New York radio station WNYC.

Carlin studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris with Jules Gentil. He earned a bachelor's degree in music from Harvard University in 1969 and a master's degree in piano from The Juilliard School in 1970.[1] He studied with Rosina Lhévinne, Wilhelm Kempff[3] and Morton Estrin.[4]

Career

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In 1973, Carlin won fifth prize at the International Busoni Competition.[5] He was a semifinalist in the International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1970.[6] In 1977, he made his debut recital in New York, performing all three of Schubert's last piano sonatas, D. 958-960.[7] He taught at Hiram College and Phillips Exeter Academy before joining Washington University in St. Louis as director of the piano program in 1979.

In 1989, Carlin was one of two winners of a recitalist grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. From 1991-1992, he performed the complete cycle of Schubert piano sonatas on fortepiano in five concerts in New York; these concerts were broadcast on National Public Radio.[8] In 1992, he performed at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall; his performance was described by The New York Times as "sparklingly transparent".[9]

Carlin appeared as soloist with conductors Roger Norrington, Nicholas McGegan and Leonard Slatkin with such orchestras as the Boston Pops, St. Louis Symphony, San Francisco Philharmonia Baroque. He was the soloist in the St. Louis Symphony premiere of Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2.[10] Additionally he performed in recital with such artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Yo-Yo Ma,[11] James Buswell, Anner Bylsma and Malcolm Bilson. Additionally, Carlin was a founding member of the Eliot Trio of Washington University with violinist David Halen and cellist Bjorn Ranheim.[2]

Personal life and death

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Carlin was married to harpsichordist Maryse Carlin, and had two children. He died following a swimming accident in Mont-de-Marsan, France on July 28, 2016, at the age of 71.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Obituary: Seth Carlin, professor emeritus of music, 71 - The Source - Washington University in St. Louis". 8 August 2016.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Calvin (12 August 2016). "Seth Carlin, prize-winning pianist and WU professor".
  3. ^ Rothstein, Edward (18 October 1991). "Review/Fortepiano; Starting a Cycle of Schubert Sonatas". The New York Times.
  4. ^ Gelder, Lawrence Van (April 27, 1986). "Long Islanders – A Pianist Finds 88 Keys to Happiness". The New York Times. p. LI 11. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Hall of Fame Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition". concorsobusoni_2014.
  6. ^ Boston Symphony Orchestra. Boston Pops Orchestra concert programs, 1975, Season 90. Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. Boston, Mass. : Boston Symphony Orchestra.
  7. ^ "Music In Review". The New York Times. 23 October 1977 – via NYTimes.com.
  8. ^ Rothstein, Edward (18 October 1991). "Review/Fortepiano; Starting a Cycle of Schubert Sonatas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-07-12.
  9. ^ Kozinn, Allan (7 April 1992). "Classical Music in Review". The New York Times.
  10. ^ "Concert Program – March 5-6, 2016" (PDF). 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Classics | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2021-01-10.