Nathan Cole Named Concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced today that violinist Nathan Cole will be the orchestra's new concertmaster, starting in July with the orchestra's Tanglewood season. Since 2011 Cole has served as first associate concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a position he will transition out of over the next year.
Violinist Nathan Cole.
"The BSO and I are very happy to warmly welcome Nathan Cole as the next concertmaster of our great orchestra," said BSO Music Director Andris Nelsons. "We look forward to embracing his leadership within the orchestra, exploring our joint musical values and partnering on our artistic journey together to serve the great music both within and beyond our Boston community.”
The BSO's concertmaster position had been vacant for five years, and the decision came after an extensive audition process in which the orchestra considered a succession of highly accomplished guest concertmasters. As part of his audition, Cole led the orchestra in both Boston and at Carnegie Hall in January performances of Shostakovich’s 1934 opera "Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk."
"This opportunity to be the BSO’s next concertmaster feels like something that I’ve been waiting for my whole life," Cole said. "When I auditioned with the BSO back in January, for me it was an immediate, warm feeling both from my colleagues in the orchestra and Andris on the podium. I loved the way that Andris spoke in terms of imagery and was really clear about the sound that he wanted. I felt that he left it to us and our creativity to decide how to get those sounds, but at the same time, he was very specific and persistent about what he wanted, and I loved that. I also felt great support from the orchestra, especially from my fellow violins."
As first associate concertmaster of the LA Phil, Cole was regularly featured as soloist at Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. Before coming to LA, he was a member of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony. He has appeared as guest concertmaster with the orchestras of Pittsburgh, Minnesota, Houston, Ottawa, Seattle, and Portland, Oregon.
Cole, who is 46, grew up in a musical family in Lexington, Kentucky. His parents, both flutists, taught lessons in the home while his grandfather told stories about his years in the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy. Cole made his debut with the Louisville Orchestra at the age of 10 while studying with Donna Wiehe; he studied a further eight years with Daniel Mason, a student of Jascha Heifetz. Cole attended the Curtis Institute of Music, where his primary teachers were Pamela Frank, Felix Galimir, Ida Kavafian, and Jaime Laredo.
Readers of this site will recognized Cole as a longtime member of Violinist.com and has written numerous blogs on violin technique and other topics. He is well-known for his Violympics - which kept a lot of people playing during the pandemic - as well as his virtuoso courses, videos, scale book and blog that can be found at NatesViolin.com. He also leads the orchestral repertoire program for violin at the Colburn Conservatory of Music.
Cole will be the BSO's 11th concertmaster since its founding in 1881, succeeding Malcolm Lowe, who retired in 2019 after serving for 35 years. Before Lowe, Joseph Silverstein was concertmaster for 22 years, and before him was Richard Burgin.
"Looking back, I feel fortunate to have known two people who held the position before me, Malcolm Lowe and Joseph Silverstein," Cole said. "Silverstein was one of my idols, and I grew up with many of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players recordings. Any time that I had to learn a piece, BSCP would have a recording of it with Silverstein leading, so I had his sound in my ear early on and was lucky to get to work with him before he passed away. He was extremely generous with his time and wisdom. He took himself seriously enough to continue working on his craft all the way through the end of his life. But I always got the sense that he knew he was a custodian of the position, and that everything he did was for his colleagues and for the music, and that’s something that I want to carry forward."
This summer at Tanglewood, Cole will be featured prominently in Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and will lead the orchestra in several programs. His first full season with the orchestra will include two performances at Carnegie Hall in April 2025, at the Shostakovich Festival in Leipzig, and in three other soon-to-be-announced European cities where the BSO will tour in May 2025.
"I’m thrilled to be starting my tenure this summer at Tanglewood," Cole said. "It will be my first time playing there. My wife Akiko and I and all three of our kids are super-excited about the move to New England!" Cole's wife, violinist Akiko Tarumoto, is an Assistant Concertmaster for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
In addition to leading the orchestra’s violin section, Cole will be artistic director of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players (BSCP), formed in 1964 and one of the world’s most distinguished chamber music ensembles sponsored by a major orchestra. Comprised of principal players from the BSO, the BSCP will perform at Tanglewood with pianist Paul Lewis on July 24 and will perform five concerts in Boston next season.
You might also like:
- Review: Nathan Cole Performs Vivaldi's Four Seasons with the LA Phil
- Orchestral Excerpts Master Class with Violinist Nathan Cole at Sounding Point Academy
- Interview with LA Phil Assistant Concertmaster Nathan Cole: Online Teaching and Preparing for Auditions (2013)
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what is Akiko going to do?
Akiko is an incredible player. Beyond her considerable accomplishments as a violinist, she also is a graduate of Harvard University - so Boston will be a familiar place.
Congrats, Nathan!
Great player, and his Youtube is super helpful!
Congrats Nate!
Well done, Nathan!
Hope he won't go silent now, like some other vcommers have!
As an amateur musician, I am thrilled to hear about Nathan Cole's appointment as the BSO's new concertmaster. His leadership and expertise on the Best fiddles will undoubtedly enhance the orchestra's performances. It's inspiring to see how his audition resonated with both Andris Nelsons and his fellow musicians, creating a perfect blend of artistic vision and musical excellence. Congratulations to Nathan Cole and the BSO on this exciting new chapter!
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May 20, 2024 at 04:22 PM · "Dangit we are going to MISS this guy in Los Angeles," said Violinist.com editor Laurie Niles. "And his whole family!"
But seriously, a huge congratulations to Nathan, and what a wonderful thing for the Boston Symphony and the community there. Here is a very experienced and accomplished concertmaster who has shown that he is energetically committed to his community - as an artist of the highest caliber, as a supportive leader and presence in an orchestra, and as an educator with a lot of creative and motivating ideas. He deserves that number-one position in an orchestra such as this!