Chamber Music Detroit is honored to name violinist Daniel Hope as the Inaugural Occupant of the Menahem Pressler Chair in Chamber Music.
The establishment of The Menahem Pressler Chair at Chamber Music Detroit honors the profound artistry, powerful influence, and blessed memory of an artist whose work touched the life of this organization deeply, in countless ways, for decades. Mr. Pressler’s passing in May 2023, at the age of nearly 100 years, has ushered in the beginning of a new era as his enduring legacy continues to resonate throughout the world of music.
Perhaps no other artist in Chamber Music Detroit’s history has made a more lasting impression, particularly in the hearts of the “greatest generation” of passionate music lovers who founded the Chamber Music Society of Detroit as their musical home. This named chair will ensure that – no matter which way the chamber music winds may blow in the future – this legacy of passionate love for music will always be treasured as the core of our mission.
The designation in each season of an occupant of The Menahem Pressler Chair will celebrate an individual musician – irrespective of musical discipline – whose life’s work most closely reflects the cherished musical values that Mr. Pressler himself personified, in his more than thirty performances for Chamber Music Detroit itself, and in his powerful impact upon chamber music and musicians the world over.
Chamber Music Detroit expresses its deep appreciation to Dr. Henry Shevitz for his generosity in making the lead gift to establish The Menahem Pressler Chair in Chamber Music.