Eugenia Zukerman

Flutist Eugenia Zukerman is renowned for her lyrical phrasing, sparkling tone, and compelling stage presence. Her vast repertoire and graceful artistry have contributed to her popularity as an international performer with orchestra, in solo and duo recitals, and in chamber music ensembles in North America, Europe, and Asia. A consummate musician who is also a champion of young musicians, she has been praised by the press as “one of the finest flutists of our time.”

A versatile artist, Ms. Zukerman is respected for her innovative programming as well as for her performances. She has been praised as “a bona fide phenom.” Few major instrumentalists offer anything comparable to the intelligence and breadth of programming that she brings to her concerts. She has been Artistic Director of the international Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains since 1998. The 18-year-old festival has grown artistically under her guidance, and includes residencies with the New York Philharmonic, the Rochester Philharmonic, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

During the summer of 2005, her performances included the anniversary gala of Virginia’s American Theatre, and Music Mountain’s 76th Season Opening Gala. Current season highlights include the New York premiere of composer/pianist Jake Heggie’s The Deepest Desire: Dramatic Songs of Praise as part of Carnegie’s Carnegie Hall Presents series at Weill Hall; duo and chamber recitals at Puerto Rico’s Museo de Arte de Ponce; and two performances at the Library of Congress, one with the Amelia Piano Trio and the other with Jake Heggie. Other collaborations this season include performances with pianist Anthony Newman, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Novacek, the International Sejong Soloists, and the Jacques Thibaud Trio.

Ms. Zukerman has recorded for Delos, CBS Masterworks, Pro Arte, Vox Cum Laude, and Newport Classics. Recent recordings for Delos include ChinaSong with the Shanghai Quartet, on which she performs Pictures from Bashu – 6 Sichuan Folk Songs; an acclaimed performance/live recording of American composer Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Aria, a collection of opera favorites; and her successful solo flute recording, Incantation.

The multi-faceted Ms. Zukerman also enjoys successful careers as an author and television commentator. She has been the arts correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning since 1981, broadcasting over 300 artist profiles in her 25 years on the program. She has appeared on such other shows as PBS’s Charlie Rose Show, NBC’s Today, and A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts.

As a writer, Ms. Zukerman has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Esquire, and Vogue. Her latest book, published by Sorin Books in 2003, is the acclaimed In My Mother’s Closet. This anthology of essays about accomplished women and their thoughts on the mother/daughter relationship includes such noted personalities as Renée Fleming, Carrie Fisher, Joy Behar, Judy Collins, Erica Jong, and Claire Bloom. Ms. Zukerman has also published two novels, Deceptive Cadence (Viking, 1981) and Taking the Heat (Simon & Schuster, 1991). For St. Martin’s Press (1997), she co-authored a non-fiction book, Coping with Prednisone, with her sister, Dr. Julie R. Ingelfinger.

In addition to her performing career, Ms. Zukerman shares her expertise with young musicians through master classes and teaching. She is on the faculty of New York University’s Department of Music and Performing Arts.

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Ms. Zukerman entered Barnard College as an English major but soon transferred to The Juilliard School, where she studied with the renowned flutist Julius Baker. Early in her career, she won the Young Concert Artists Award and made her formal New York debut to rave reviews.