Adam Neiman named new MMF artistic director

Andrew McKeever

GNAT-TV News Project

MANCHESTER — The board of directors of the Manchester Music Festival has named a new artistic director.

Adam Neiman, a pianist who has performed frequently in recent years with the festival, will replace Ariel Rudiakov, the long-serving artistic director whose departure was announced last month.

Neiman is an award-winning American pianist with international experience, and an extensive recording career. He is an Assistant Professor of Music at the Chicago Conservatory, according to the announcement released this morning by the board of directors.

“Adam is hailed as one of the premiere pianists of his generation, praised for possessing a truly rare blend of power, bravura, imagination, sensitivity, and technical precision. With an encyclopedic repertoire, Mr. Neiman has performed as a soloist with the symphony orchestras of Belgrade, Chicago, Cincinnati, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Minnesota, Saint Louis, San Francisco, Slovenia, Umbria, and Utah, as well as with the New York Chamber Symphony and the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington D.C. He has collaborated with many of the world’s celebrated conductors,” the announcement stated.

When the board announced on Sept. 15 that Rudiakov would no longer be continuing as artistic director, they indicated they planned to make major enhancements to MMF’s summer chamber music festival, to create an array of musical experiences for audiences the region. These enhancements will include, first, increased recruiting of top quality young artists, accomplished college and graduate school students in classical music performance wishing to refine their skills in performing chamber music. Inviting faculty and guest artists who can identify and attract top students, and who themselves can perform at the highest professional level at MMF’s regularly scheduled performances, is another important goal. In addition, the Board decided to focus more resources on offering its audiences educational programs about classical music history and performance, according to the announcement.The Manchester While more resources will be invested in MMF’s summer festival, MMF will continue to offer a very limited number of other chamber music performances, such as its annual New Year’s Eve concert and selected other educational programs, the statement added.Rudiakov had been artistic director of the Manchester Music Festival since November 2000, when he was appointed to replace his father, Michael Rudiakov, who had passed away earlier that month. Michael Rudiakov had served as the festival’s artistic director for the previous 17 years, since 1983. Joana Genova has been the education director of the Manchester Music Festival since  2011 and was a founding teacher at the Michael Rudiakov Music Academy (MRMA) when it opened its doors in 2001. The Rudiakov Music Academy has been a program of the Manchester Music festival offering instruction in violin, viola and cello, to beginning, intermediate and advanced students age 6-18.

Music Festival was begun in 1974 by internationally known pianist Eugene List and violinist Carroll Glenn.