Embedded Files
Lillian Gordis
Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, French-American harpsichordist Lillian Gordis discovered the harpsichord at age five and moved to France at sixteen, where she studied with Pierre Hantaï and Bertrand Cuiller. Having garnered critical acclaim with her recordings of Bach and Scarlatti (“Diapason d’Or,” Diapason; “TTTT,” Télérama; France Musique; Gramophone), she performs internationally both as a soloist and in a duo with Jérôme Hantaï. As pedagogue, Lillian directs the historical performance program at the University of Colorado Boulder as the Eaton Chair of Baroque Music, having previously served as Visiting Professor of Harpsichord at Oberlin Conservatory.
A project a decade in the making, Lillian’s upcoming In nomine recording will feature the twelve In nomines of John Bull (1562/63–1628), one of the towering figures of Elizabethan music. Here Lillian records these as a single cycle for the first time, alongside the world premiere of two companion pieces—commissioned specifically for the project—by acclaimed composers Nico Muhly and Cashel Day-Lewis. A film by Erwan Ricordeau will document the recording process in depth and explore the contemporary relevance of harpsichord and historical performance practice.
“Historical performance practice has at times felt to me like an entropic endeavor or a byproduct of nostalgia,” Lillian remarks. “I have grappled with how to confront the challenge of creating a sense of continuity and relevance in my daily life as an artist. The In nomine project is a fundamental expression of my personal journey with these questions.”
» Reserve a spot at Lillian’s Bay Area recital on October 18.
Report abuse