Joel Krosnick UMASS-Amherst Music Department Cello 1967-1973

 

Joel Krosnick (1941-)  was a highly distinguished member of the UMASS-Amherst Music Department from 1967 to 1973.

Professor Joel Krosnick was born in New Haven, Connecticut to a family of gifted amateur musicians. His Mother played piano and his Father played violin. By the time Professor Krosnick was 17 years old he had already played virtually all of the Classical and Romantic piano trio and string quartet repertoire with his family and friends.

Professor Krosnick attended Columbia University where he a founding member of The Group for Contemporary Music.  Professor Krosnick’s connection to contemporary music has led to innumerable premieres and performances by the most notable living composers in the World.

Prior to becoming a UMASS-Amherst Music Department Faculty member, Professor Krosnick held a professorship at the University of Iowa.

The Author of this essay, was an instrumental performance major as well as an

instrumental music education major at UMASS-Amherst between 1967 and 1972.

As an instrumental music education major, Applied educational courses that revolved around the cello was a core music ed requirement.

The Author of this essay had the good fortune of having Professor Joel Krosnick as the instructor of applied music education oriented cello.

Professor Krosnick was one of the youngest members of the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty. His youthful appearance, charismatic personality and endless enthusiasm
for all things related to the UMASS-Amherst Music Department made Professor Krosnick a favorite amongst all Faculty and Students alike.

Professor Krosnick’s abilities on the Cello were extraordinary and unforgettable.

The Author of this essay made it a point to attend all of Professor Krosnick’s solo music faculty recitals as well as joint recital performances with other UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty Members. Professor Krosnick’s performances with the Faculty Trio which included Julian Olevsky on Violin and Estella Olevsky on Piano were always outstanding.

In either 1968 or 1969, Professor Krosnick performed a faculty recital that included a performance of the very difficult Yves Chardon (1902-2000) Sonata for D Trumpet and Cello Opus 21 (1958). The trumpet player, was Professor Walter Chesnut.

Besides being a virtuoso cellist to the highest degree, Professor Krosnick had the reputation of being an outstanding Cello instructor. The Author of this essay was friends who were cellists that performed in the UMASS Symphony Orchestra under the Direction of Ronald Steele. These cellists all studied with Professor Krosnick and always offered the highest praise of his teaching skills.

The Author of this essay took an Applied Cello Education course with Professor Krosnick and Professor Krosnick did a fabulous job. All the students in this Author’s class loved this class. The Author had poor all around skills with all string instruments, but Professor Krosnick new how to teach the terribly uncoordinated Author of this essay to degree that earned the Author an ‘A’ in this class.

Professor Krosnick had an extremely precise way in which he applied both his fingers and bow to the strings of a cello. And, by having the music students play very, very slowly an exercise over and over and over, the students progress in getting a sound that was not
‘completely cringe worthy’ was remarkable.

Either in 1970 or 1971, a male graduate Cello Music Performance major transferred to UMASS-Amherst from a big University somewhere in the Midwest to study under Professor Krosnick. The first name of this student was Fred and Fred became the first chair cellist with the UMASS-Amherst Symphony Orchestra and became a friend of the Author of this essay.

Around 1971, this Author began discussing the program selections for the Author’s upcoming 1972 trumpet graduation recital. At the suggestion of trumpet instructor, Walter Chesnut, the Author was urged to consider performing the Chardon Sonata for D Trumpet and Cello.

However, this Sonata in five parts had a cello part that was even more difficult than the demanding trumpet part.

Professor Chesnut discussed the cello part difficulty with Professor Joel Krosnick, and Professor Krosnick felt confident that his student, Fred would be able to do an excellent job. Both Fred and Bob, both separately and jointly spent many hours practicing the Chardon Sonata for D Trumpet and Cello. At Professor Chesnut studio on at least two occasions, Professor Chesnut coached both Fred and Bob in a joint practice session.

And, most memorably, on three occasions at Professor Krosnick’s studio, Professor Krosnick coached Fred and Bob in a joint practice session. Professor Krosnick’s emphasis on timing, phrasing and dynamic control were extraordinarily profound.

Between the coaching that Professor’s Chesnut and Krosnick provided to both Fred and the Author of this essay, both Fred and this Author were convinced that the performance of the Chardon Sonata for D Trumpet and Cello would be a success.

Professor Krosnick attended most if not all of this Author’s numerous trumpet solo recitals as well as brass ensemble recital performances including the Author’s senior graduation trumpet recital. The performance of the Chardon Sonata for D Trumpet and Cello to
a standing room only audience earned both Fred and the Author a thunderous, roaring ovation.

At the conclusion of the five selection trumpet senior recital, Professor Krosnick personally congratulated this Author for a job ‘well done’!

At the end of the 1973 school year, Professor Krosnick became a member of the Juilliard String Quartet from 1974 to 2016. Joel Krosnick has also served as a faculty member of the Julliard School of Music -from 1974 through the present.

CLICK HERE!… for info on Joel Krosnick’s 42nd final season with the Julliard String Quartet.

Of interest, Joel Krosnick’s 2016 replacement with the Juilliard String Quartet is cellist Astrid Schween. Ms. Schween was a UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty Member
from 2004-2016.

Professor Krosnick was an enormous asset to the UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty and UMASS in general was most fortunate to have Professor Krosnick as a faculty member from 1967-1973.

The Author of this essay will always remember his musical encounters with Joel Krosnick as one of the highlights of this Author’s music education at UMASS-Amherst.