Described by The Times of London as an "undemonstratively excellent violinist," Thomas Halpin has been a soloist with orchestras throughout the United States and Canada, and has recorded works by Ned Rorem, Virgil Thomson and Lou Harrison. He has collaborated with composers Lukas Foss, Philip Glass, Henry Brant and Lou Harrison in performances of their works, and has performed works by Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, and John Cage, with the composers in attendance. Mr. Halpin has appeared in recital in New York, London and Washington, DC, and was a frequent soloist at the North American New Music Festival.
Mr. Halpin -- whose playing was described by legendary violinist Zino Francescatti as "perfect and beautiful" -- lives and teaches in Amherst, where, from 1983 to 1999, he was on the faculty of the State University of New York at Buffalo. His solo appearances under the baton of John Landis now number six, dating back to 1994, when the two collaborated in Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy.
Vitali Chaconne, performed by Thomas Halpin (violin) and Jill Shrewsbury (piano):
