Joel Smirnoff
President, Cleveland Institute of Music

Joel Smirnoff laughs easily. The new President of Cleveland Institute of Music has played with the Julliard String Quartet for 22 years, and served as the first violin for the past 11 years. Smirnoff loves new violins (the old ones are "known quantities") and new music, and has played blues and jazz, winning a Grammy for his playing with Tony Bennett. His wife, acclaimed violinist Joan Kwuon, who plays the 1735 "Mary Portman" Guarneri del Gesu, studied at CIM and they are both happy to settle here in Cleveland after whirlwind careers in NYC. Smirnoff also appreciates the intimate CIA, where he thinks young students may be able to "intensively focus" on their music studies without the distractions he saw in NYC. He raves about Keith Fitch, the new head of composition at CIA, and looks forward to the close relationship with the Cleveland Orchestra which he knows from his days growing up listening to them on the Cleveland Orchestra radio network. Welcome Joel! http://www.CIM.edu

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