Malcolm Goldstein

by Joslyn Layne
American avant-garde violinist, improviser, and composer Malcolm Goldstein has been exploring the sounds possible with the violin since the early '60s, when he, Philip Corner, and James Tenney founded the Tone Roads Ensemble. In addition to receiving commissions for his own work from a number of arts councils and vocalists, other composers (including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Ornette Coleman) have written works specifically for Goldstein. He has performed all over Europe and North America, in groups, solo, and with dance troupes. Recordings of Goldstein's music (including his 1997 solo performance at the Fire in the Valley festival) finally started becoming more readily available during the '90s.