Midori Goto, who goes by the stage name Midori, was born in Japan and made her American debut in 1982, when she was a guest soloist at the New Year’s Eve Gala, playing with the New York Philharmonic. With Zubin Mehta on the podium, Midori performed the first movement of the Violin Concerto No. 1 by Paganini with a level of skill that astonished listeners. She was 11.
Four years later, she gave a performance that has become legendary. She appeared at the Tanglewood Music Festival where she played “Serenade” by Leonard Bernstein, with Bernstein himself on the podium. It took her three violins to finish the piece, as she broke the E string on her violin, borrowed the violin from the concertmaster (a Stradivarius, no less), broke the E string on that, then borrowed the associate concertmaster’s violin (a Guadagnini this time), and finished the concert on that instrument. Hailed as a child prodigy, she has gone on to an acclaimed career as a professional musician. A review says:
“She quietly plays, draws us in, allows us to be charmed or impressed. . . . It was a supreme joy to experience her two concerts.”
Midori will be in Costa Mesa, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, on November 10. When performances like this are planned, organizers can promote them by using poster printing to create advertising.