Columbus native comes back to play in classical concert

Claire Kudika
Fri, 06 Apr 2018 10:32:59 +0000
Arts & Life, Music, News, David Niwa, David Radzynski, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan Ranzynski, ohio state school of music, school of music, Sunday at Central

David Radzynski, a Columbus native, will be performing as a part of the Sunday at Central’s “Where Are They Now?” series.

Sunday at Central is a music organization dedicated to putting on free classical music concerts throughout the year. Although Sunday at Central has been around since 1995, the “Where Are They Now?” series is a new addition to the organization. It features budding musicians who grew up in Columbus. ??

“There are a lot of internationally renowned, top-quality musicians who have just graduated from conservatory, who need to play concerts,” said David Niwa, the artistic director of Sunday at Central.

Radzynski is currently the first chair violinist in the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Being a part of an international musical group means he rarely has time to visit home, which is one of the reasons he is so excited to be participating in the concert.

“It doesn’t happen often that I get to come to my hometown,” Radzynski said. “It’s hard sometimes to find a time or some rest, but I’m very happy to finally play another concert here in Columbus.”

Radzynski’s father, Jan Radzynski, is a composer and professor in the school of music at Ohio State. Having a talented and musical father greatly influenced his musical path, Radzynski said. He grew up playing his father’s music, and is even showcasing one of his compositions on Sunday.

“It’s not just performing [my father’s], music, it’s also learning music from your composer dad,” Radzynski said. “I took a lot of…lessons from him.”

Although David Radzynski got his love of music from his father, the love of composing didn’t transfer over as well. He said that “it’s challenging enough” to play the violin itself, let alone write music to go with it.

“I’m happy just playing something,” Radzynski said. “I’m also happy to play my dad’s music.”

The Radzynski family and Niwa are family friends, going back to when David Radzynski was a child. This relationship makes the concert doubly exciting for Niwa.

“It’s kind of cool for me because I’ve known him since he was a wee little grasshopper,” Niwa said.

The concert will be held at the Columbus Performing Arts Center, located at 549 Franklin Ave., at 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.