JOHN B ECKSTEIN portrait
  • Cellist, Utah Symphony, Utah Symphony and Opera
  • Adjunct Professor, School Of Music

Outreach

  • Haitian National Orchestra Institute After teaching briefly in Haiti during the summer of 2016 I was struck by the desire of the students to further their skills in the study and performance of classical music. In a country where the challenges far outweigh the opportunities, I found this interest in our art form was surprising and inspirational. From March 26-April 2nd, I and 14 of my Utah Symphony colleagues along with a member of the Detroit Symphony and Utah Symphony Music Director Thierry Fischer will form the faculty of the first Haitian National Orchestral Institute. Partnering with highly experienced non profit Blume Haiti, this group will work with an orchestra of 100 of the most dedicated students and teachers from all over Haiti. The students and teachers are being provided transportation as well as room and board through our fundraising efforts. To our knowledge, nothing of this scope involving so many major American symphonic musicians has ever been attempted in Haiti. Our goal is to provide a direct conduit to the highest level performance and teaching traditions and to provide these students a look in to the next level of ensemble playing. Several recently published articles (showcased in the Media Exposure Section) should help flesh out the details of this project. John Eckstein. 03/2016 - 04/2016

In the Media

  • Salt Lake Tribune: "Utah Symphony members will lend a hand in Haiti". 12/2016. http://www.sltrib.com/home/4690010-155/utah-sympho...
  • Slipped Disc: "Utah Symphony goes teaching in Haiti" . 12/2016. http://slippedisc.com/2016/12/utah-symphony-goes-t...
  • Deseret News: "Utah Symphony members to provide music education for young musicians in Haiti". 12/2016. http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865671509/Utah-...
  • Artists of Utah: "The summer Intermezzo Chamber Music Series gave one of the most intuitively verdant and emotionally draining performances of any of Franz Schubert’s compositions that I have ever heard, live or on a recording, in his Piano Trio No. 1 in B flat major, D. 898 on August 3. Pianist Vedrana Subotic, cellist John Eckstein, and violinist Hanah Stuart were truly astonishing — they sought the emotional heart of each movement, yet the whole was still far greater than the sum of each of the four movements." . 08/03/2015.