The violinist Jorja Fleezanis has died. Fleezanis served as concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra for twenty years (1989-2009). At the time of her appointment, she was only the second woman to be named concertmaster of a major U.S. orchestra.
Prior to her run in Minnesota, she was associate concertmaster in San Francisco for eight years. And before that, she was with the Chicago Symphony from the age of 23.
Fleezanis gave the world premiere of John Adams’ Violin Concerto, a work commissioned for her by the Minnesota Orchestra, in 1994.
With acclaimed pianist Garrick Ohlsson and principal cellist of the San Francisco Symphony Michael Grebanier, she formed the FOG Trio.
Public radio listeners with long memories will also remember her from her frequent appearances on “St. Paul Sunday” with Bill McGlaughlin.
Fleezanis was 70 years-old.
Plenty examples of her artistry on YouTube, both with the FOG Trio and her colleagues from the San Francisco Symphony.
Haydn & Brahms
Beethoven
Schumann
Arensky, Chausson & Saint-Saëns
Elgar
Dvořák piano trios
Dvořák quartet with members of the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Ravel
San Francisco Hindemith
San Francisco Shostakovich
Fleezanis interview
https://interlude.hk/in-touch-with-jorja-fleezanisconcertmaster-and-prophet/