Expert Analysis
In uncertain times, when the present is bleak and the future forecast is even bleaker, a small glimmer of hope has the power to illuminate the spirit, if not the world. Learning that the American Jewish musician Johnny Gandelsman, born in Russia, has been named a MacArthur Fellow might provide a reason to celebrate.
This year, the 46-year-old virtuoso violinist, composer and record producer is one of the 22 recipients of the MacArthur Foundation’s $800,000 fellowship, called the “genius prize.” Candidates do not apply—they are chosen. Among other criteria, awardees possess a track record of exceptional achievements in the arts, humanities, mathematics, sciences, social sciences or other fields, and they also demonstrate extraordinary creativity and the prospect of doing great things in the future.
The only musician to win the prize in 2024, Gandelsman was cited for his compositions, including concert music, scores for documentary films including Ken Burns’ “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” and pieces he creates in collaboration with others. He has gained a reputation for his masterful playing of instruments from many countries, as well as for his command of folk music, which requires knowledge of fiddling techniques that differ from region to region. Onstage, he applies his gifts to what has been described as “re-imagining” (and also reinvigorating) classics for modern audiences, inspired by musical traditions and performance practices from around the globe.
In the 1990s, Gandelsman and his musical parents and siblings emigrated from Moscow to Israel; he now lives in New York. Early in his career, he played with the Silkroad Ensemble, established by renown cellist Yo-Yo Ma, whose performances featured non-Western repertory played on instruments from Asia, the United States and Europe. He is now primarily associated with the prestigious Brooklyn Rider, a chamber quartet which he founded 15 years ago. Fans have been captivated by the group’s programming, including both chamber music standards, contemporary works by Philip Glass and others, and experimental projects developed in association with noted composers, soloists and singers.
A few years ago, Gandelsman masterminded a project that might have been a determining factor for his winning of the MacArthur. Hailed as his magnum opus, “This is America” was commissioned and curated by Gandelsman during the COVID-19 shutdown. Funded by 22 arts organizations across the nation, it’s a musical anthology, consisting of 28 pieces, mostly written for solo violin, by 22 composers of various ages and ethnicities. In its entirety, “This is America” is their response to the pandemic, sad as well as optimistic, which conveys both states of mind as well as emotions: despair, loneliness, joy, friendship and love. “This is America” is a musical picture of what it was like for many who experienced the years of isolation.
With titles including “O,” “Steeped,” “Dance Suite,” “Rhapsody,” and “Pallavi-A Meditation on Care,” these very strong compositions reflect a wide range of stylistic diversity. Warmly received by audiences, they have been performed by Gandelsman during his sold-out concert tour this year. He has also recorded the entire work on his own label as “This is America–An Anthology-2020-2021.”
Gandelsman has described his motivation for the initiative: “I did want to try and represent this country in as many ways as possible: age, creative process, gender, genre, cultural background were all things I considered.” Regarding the ways in which he has been changed by the project, he concluded: “the process of getting to know these new works was illuminating. I found comfort in works I knew how to approach; others required skills I wasn’t good at, or never tried before, pushing me into directions I never thought I’d be exploring, and at times stretching my comfort level to what seemed like its absolute limits. My first reaction to those works was trepidation, and the old saying ‘you fear what you don’t understand’ rang in my head…I hoped that through their works, a more nuanced picture of America could emerge.”
“This is America” amounts to even more than the sum of its many working parts. For those hearing “This is America” for the first time, it is proof that creativity is able to light up, and in its way defy, dark times. It is a great legacy to hand down to future generations, who almost certainly will have to confront more difficult times.
Cheryl Kempler is an art and music specialist who works in the B’nai B’rith International Curatorial Office and writes about history and Jewish culture for B’nai B’rith Magazine. To view some of her additional content, click here.