{"id":769,"date":"2022-03-30T15:23:23","date_gmt":"2022-03-30T19:23:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/?post_type=profile&p=769"},"modified":"2024-10-07T12:19:01","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T16:19:01","slug":"michelle-lacourse","status":"publish","type":"profile","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cfa\/about\/contact-directions\/directory\/michelle-lacourse\/","title":{"rendered":"Michelle LaCourse"},"content":{"rendered":"

Violist Michelle LaCourse<\/strong>, an active soloist and chamber musician, has appeared on four continents, including recent performances in France, Italy, Spain, Luxembourg, Brazil, China, South Korea, and many parts of the USA. Her playing has been described by critics in such terms as \u201ca miraculous blend of intense passion and artistic elegance\u201d and \u201chas a mastery of the instrument like a sixth sense, and with it reveals to us the most profound secrets.\u201d An enthusiastic advocate for new viola repertoire, she has also commissioned and premiered many new pieces for the instrument. Her 2009 recording, \u201cChocolates: Music for Viola and Piano by James Grant\u201d was released by MSR Classics (msrcd.com, MS1335) to rave reviews, praising \u201cthe raw emotion of her playing\u201d and calling the disc \u201cenough to make one reframe one\u2019s image of the viola\u201d. Her 2015 release on MSR, \u201cAn American Menagerie: Music for Viola and Piano by Martin Amlin, Robert Merfeld, and Monica Houghton\u201d (MS1474) received high praise from Fanfare Magazine, noting \u201cstellar performances,\u201d including playing \u201cin the sweetest and most exquisite way imaginable\u201d, \u201cstunningly realized\u201d, and calling the recording \u201cA surefire winner.\u201d Audiophile Audition declared the disc \u201cA gorgeous recital.\u201d<\/p>\n

LaCourse was formerly a member of the Lehigh Quartet, the Delphic String Trio and the Aeolian Trio. She currently performs with the Pangaea Chamber Players, the Convergence Ensemble, and several other groups, as well as frequently appearing as solo recitalist. She has performed at numerous festivals such as Aspen, Bowdoin, Eastern, Interlochen, Skaneateles, Musicorda, the Heifetz Institute, and the International Festivals of Campos do Jord\u00e3o (Brazil), of Positano (Italy), and of Vianden (Luxembourg), as well as at some of the world\u2019s leading concert venues, such as Vienna\u2019s Musikverein, Berlin\u2019s Kammermusiksaal and Washington\u2019s Kennedy Center. As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, was co-principal of the Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and was formerly principal violist of the Chamber Orchestra of Grenoble France.<\/p>\n

She holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where she was for many years teaching assistant to renowned pedagogue Karen Tuttle. Ms. LaCourse currently teaches viola and chairs the String Department at Boston University\u2019s School of Music, where she was awarded BU\u2019s Metcalf Cup and Prize, the university\u2019s highest honor for excellence in teaching. Co-author of \u201cThe Karen Tuttle Legacy: A Resource and Guide for Viola Students, Teachers, and Performers,\u201d she frequently presents master classes at music schools across the United States and internationally, and during the summer months she also teaches and performs at the annual Karen Tuttle Viola Workshops, at BU\u2019s Tanglewood Institute where she is Director of the Viola Workshop, and at a number of other festivals and workshops. Many of her former students currently enjoy playing and teaching positions around the globe.<\/p>\n

Creative Works<\/h5>\n