Dylana Jenson facts for kids
Dylana Jenson (born May 14, 1961, in Los Angeles, California) is a famous American concert violinist and violin teacher. She lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan with her husband, David Lockington, who is a conductor and cellist. They have four children. Dylana's sister, Vicky Jenson, is known for directing animated films.
Early Life and Amazing Talent
Dylana Jenson was a child prodigy, meaning she showed incredible talent from a very young age. She started learning the violin with her mother when she was just two years and ten months old. Later, she studied with famous violin teachers like Manuel Compinsky, Nathan Milstein, and Josef Gingold.
At age eight, Dylana played her first big concert, performing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. When she was nine, she appeared on a TV special with Jack Benny, acting out a famous duet. At eleven, she performed the challenging Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. On January 17, 1973, Dylana played a piece called Wieniawski's Polonaise de Concert, Op. 4 on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. By age thirteen, she had played with many of the best orchestras in the U.S., including the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also toured in Europe, Latin America, and the Soviet Union. In 1978, at age seventeen, she won the silver medal at the important International Tchaikovsky Competition.
A Career of Beautiful Music
Dylana Jenson made her big Carnegie Hall concert debut on December 9, 1980. She played the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Her performance was highly praised by everyone. In 1981, she recorded the Sibelius Violin Concerto and Saint-Saëns's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso with the Philadelphia Orchestra for RCA Red Seal. A music critic named Edward Downes said her playing was "unsurpassed since Heifetz," comparing her to a legendary violinist.
For a long time, Dylana used a special violin made in 1743 by a famous maker named Guarneri. This was the violin she used for her Sibelius recording. Later, she needed a new violin. This search led to a break from performing for about ten years. Famous cellist Yo-Yo Ma suggested she meet Samuel Zygmuntowicz, a modern luthier (violin maker) in Brooklyn. Samuel made amazing copies of old Stradivarius and Guarneri violins for other famous musicians. In 1995, Dylana asked Samuel to make her a violin based on a Guarneri design. This new violin was used in her recorded Carnegie Hall concert and on her Shostakovich/Barber CD.
In 2000, Dylana became a distinguished professor of music at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She taught there for many years. In 2020-2021, she was a visiting associate professor of violin at the University of Notre Dame.
Dylana often performs with the Grand Rapids Symphony, which is conducted by her husband, David Lockington. They even returned to Carnegie Hall together in 2005. Critics praised her performances, with one saying her playing was a "loving tribute to the great Nathan Milstein," who was one of her teachers. Another review described her playing as "a sizzling performance."
Dylana Jenson has also performed with many other orchestras, including the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. She has played at music festivals and toured in Australia and Japan. When she was 12, she was made an honorary citizen of Costa Rica because of her musical contributions. Dylana performs both in full concerts with orchestras and in smaller recitals.
Recordings
In 1978, a live recording of Dylana's Sibelius Violin Concerto performance was released. Her 1981 recording of the Sibelius Violin Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra was one of the first major classical music recordings made using digital audio. This recording was even nominated for a Grammy Awards in 1982! It has been re-released several times since then. In 1982, Dylana recorded Brahms Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 and 3 with pianist Samuel Sanders. Her 2005 Carnegie Hall performance was also recorded and includes her playing Goldmark Violin Concerto No. 1. In 2008, Dylana recorded the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 and the Barber Violin Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, using her special Zygmuntowicz violin.
