-
Gert Kumi, violin
Gert Kumi is a graduate of the Juilliard School of Music where he was a scholarship student of Stephen Clapp, a protege of Ivan Galamian and dean of Juilliard. Some of his other teachers at Juilliard include Dorothy DeLay, Itzhak Perlman, Donald Weilerstein, Robert Mann, Earl Carlyss, Paul Kantor, Curtis Macomber, and Lionel Party.
Mr. Kumi completed post-graduate studies at the Menuhin Academy in Gstaad, Switzerland where he was a scholarship student of Alberto Lysy, protege of Lord Yehudi Menuhin.
Mr. Kumi has performed as soloist, chamber and orchestral musician across Europe, United States, Asia and Africa. He has played under distinguished conductors including Sir Roger Norrington, Jahja Ling, Otto Werner Mueller, Andrew Litton, Larry Rachlef, Itzhak Perlman, Teddy Abrams, and John Williams.
Mr. Kumi made his New York debut in February of 2006 performing Chausson’s Concerto for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet at Lincoln Center’s Merkin Hall.
Mr. Kumi has been featured as a soloist with the Staten Island Philharmonic, Anderson Symphony, Masterworks Festival Orchestra, Symphony of the Lakes Orchestra, Wenzhou Philharmonic in China, Yellow River Orchestra in Zhengzhou, China, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Albania and others.
Gert has performed as concertmaster of the Bacchanalia Chamber Orchestra in New York City, Symphony of the Lakes in Indiana, Masterworks Festival Orchestra, and Young Virtuosi of Tirana Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Kumi is the five time winner of the national Young Artist Competition in Albania. He made his Albanian solo debut with the Tirana Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of 15.
Mr. Kumi has recorded for NBC, BRAVO, Vatican Radio, German Radio and Television, Swedish Radio, Austrian Radio and Television, French State TV, Spanish State TV, Italian State TV (RAI), Hungarian TV, and Albanian Radio and TV.
Gert has collaborated with many distinguished musicians including Itzhak Perlman, John Williams, Elton John, Nathaniel Rosen, Nina Beilina, Alberto Lysy, Liviu Prunaru and many others. He is a featured guest with the Louisville Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Muncie Symphony.
As an educator, Professor Kumi has taught at Nyack College in New York City, and Grace College in Winona Lake where he was Artist in Residence from 2007-2010. Mr. Kumi is currently Associate Professor of Music at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana where he is Head of the Strings and Music Director of the Anderson University Orchestra.
Mr. Kumi studied conducting at the Juilliard under the tutelage of Otto Werner Mueller, JoAnn Falletta and Virginia Allen.
Mr. Kumi plays on a Stradivari copy violin made in Moscow in 2010 by the international award-winning Russian luthier Igor Ulitsky. He plays with a W. E. Hill bow made in 1927 in London.