Christine Berl facts for kids

Christine Berl is an American artist born in 1943. She is known for her work as a composer, a pianist, and an Egyptian-style dancer.

About Christine Berl

Christine Berl's father, Paul Berl, was a musician too. He played piano for the famous singer Victoria de los Ángeles. Christine was born in New York City.

Her Education and Music Studies

Christine studied piano at Mannes College of Music. She earned her first degree in 1964. Later, she got a master's degree in composing music from Queen's College in 1970. She also learned about music theory from experts like Ernst Oster.

Her Dance Training

Christine also loves to dance. She studied ballet for many years in New York. Her teachers were Vera Nemtchinova and Vladimir Dokoudovsky. She then learned Egyptian-style Oriental dance. She studied with famous choreographers like Yousry Sharif and Mahmoud Reda in Cairo, Egypt.

Christine Berl's Career

Christine Berl has had an exciting career in music and dance. She has created new ways to compose music. She has also performed as a dancer.

New Music Forms

Berl created a special way of composing music. She calls it the "Chakra form." This method uses different musical patterns and ideas. Her piece "Elegy" (1974) uses this form completely. Other works, like "The Lord of the Dance" (1989) and "Masmoudi" (2012), also feature this unique style.

Important Music Performances

Christine Berl has worked with many talented musicians.

• She was a music advisor for Tirreno Records.
• The famous pianist Peter Serkin performed her piece "Lord of the Dance" in 1989. He played it again in 1990. He even asked her to write the piece!
• Pianist Carlo Levi Minzi recorded two of Berl's works: "Elegy" and "Lord of the Dance."
• Her piece "Dark Summer" was written for the singer Frederica von Stade. The Lincoln Center Chamber Music Society asked her to write it in 1989.
• Other pianists, like Andre-Michel Schub and Emanuel Ax, have also performed "Elegy."
• Her work "Ab la Dolchor" was played by the clarinetist Richard Stoltzman in 1990. This concert was called "The Music of Christine Berl."

Dance Performances

As a dancer, Christine Berl has performed in many nightclubs in Morocco. The New York Times newspaper even wrote an article about her dancing in 1999.

Photo Modeling Work

More recently, Christine Berl has also worked as a photo model. She has posed for many different types of photos. She has worked with photographers like Simon Cave and Henri Senders. She often does photo shoots in Italy, Holland, and the United States.

Selected Works by Christine Berl

Here are some of the musical pieces Christine Berl has composed:

• Dark Summer (1989) – for voice, piano, and string trio
• The Violent Bear it Away (1988) – for orchestra
• Elegy (1974) – for solo piano
• Three pieces for Chamber Ensemble (1975)
• Sonata (1986–87) – for piano
• The Lord of the Dance (1989)
• Masmoudi (2012) – for violin and piano
• "The Cows" (2012) – for a choir without instruments, with words by Lydia Davis
• "Baladi" (2013) – for solo alto flute

Her music has also been recorded. One recording is Three Pieces For Chamber Ensemble, released in 1984.