Biography
New York-based violinist Josh Modney has concentrated on contemporary repertoire, appearing with multiple ensembles that have generated a steady stream of commissions. Leading composers from both the United States and overseas have repeatedly invited him to participate in collaborative projects. Born on May 8, 1985, Modney spent his early years near Albany, New York. He completed undergraduate studies in music at Ithaca College before earning a master’s degree in contemporary performance from the Manhattan School of Music. In 2008 he helped establish the Mivos Quartet, whose festival engagements, including appearances in China, quickly broadened the group’s profile. He left the ensemble in 2016 as expanding obligations drew him to the Wet Ink Ensemble, where he serves as executive director and performer, and to the International Contemporary Ensemble. Although most of his work centers on recent music, Modney has also presented Bach’s sonatas and partitas for solo violin in just intonation, reflecting a sustained curiosity about tuning systems and the perceptual dimensions of sound. He has pursued extended, intensive partnerships with composers such as Kaija Saariaho, Eric Wubbels, Kate Soper, Andrew Greenwald, Christian Wolff, Helmut Lachenmann, and George Lewis, and he has taken part in improvised chamber-music settings as well. His first recording credit dates to 2007, when he contributed to an album by R&B artists Lumidee; subsequent projects with contemporary groups have appeared on the Ex Cathedra, Deutsche Grammophon, Tzadik, and Sacred Bones labels. In 2018 Modney issued his debut solo recording, the three-disc set Engage on New Focus, featuring his own interpretations of works by Bach, Sam Pluta, Taylor Brook, Soper, Anthony Braxton, and Modney himself. Contemporary-music critic Alex Ross has described him as a “multitasking virtuoso.”
Albums
