Curtis Mourns the Passing of Mirjam Ingolfsson (Cello '93)
The Curtis community mourns the loss of acclaimed cellist and pedagogue Mirjam Ingolfsson (Cello ’93), co-founder of the Leopold Mozart Academy and sister of Judith Ingolfsson (Violin ’92). She peacefully passed away on August 21, 2023, at age 49, after a courageous battle with cancer that spanned twenty-five years.
Born in Reykjavik, Iceland, to a family of musicians and artists, Ms. Ingolfsson started the cello at age four. She toured Europe and the United States at seven, recording the Bach G Major Solo Suite for the Belgian State Radio in Brussels. A year later, she made her solo debut at the 1983 Spoleto USA Festival. Soon after that, Ms. Ingolfsson entered the Curtis Institute of Music in 1987, where she received her Bachelor of Music degree, studying with Orlando Cole (Cello ’34).
Ms. Ingolfsson then studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Temple University, where she received her Master of Music degree. She is a winner of top prizes in numerous competitions, such as the ASTA Pennsylvania State Competition and the Graham Stahl Cello Competition. She participated in the Piatigorsky Seminar in Los Angeles and festivals such as the Bach Festival of Philadelphia, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival in Germany, and the Jeunesse Musicales Festival in Switzerland. A dedicated teacher, Ms. Ingolfsson co-founded the Leopold Mozart Academy in 2001, where she taught cello, music theory, and solfeggio. In addition to Mr. Cole, her principal teachers included Alan Harris, Jeffrey Solow, and Nathaniel Rosen.
Hailed as “a young poet of the cello,” Ms. Ingolfsson was featured soloist with orchestras such as the Icelandic Symphony, Tuscaloosa Symphony, the Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, the Abington Symphony Orchestra, and the Ocean City Pops and gave recitals in Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United States. As an avid and highly sought-after chamber musician, she performed with the Prometheus Chamber Orchestra and was the cellist of Archi Celesti. She also collaborated with artists including pianists Ursula Ingolfsson-Fassbind, Robert Koenig (Accompanying ’91), Bruce Polay, Vladimir Stoupel and Mikhail Yanovitsky, violinists Ellen dePasquale, Jason DePue (’00), Sigrun Evaldsdöttir, Phillip Kates, Nick Kendall (’01), Julia Sakharova and Zina Schiff (’69), organist and conductor Matthew Glandorf (Organ ’91), and clarinetists Matthew Boyles and John Russo (’67).
Ms. Ingolfsson’s live radio and television performances included NPR, Icelandic State Radio and Television, CBS Sunday Morning, and PBS. Her acclaimed album, Nesia, devoted to composer David Hush on LMA recordings, was broadcast on 2MBS-FM in Sydney, Australia. She also recorded several CDs for the CRS label. As a proponent of new music and living composers, Ms. Ingolfsson worked with composers such as David Finko and David Hush, among others. She was featured on the popular “Salon” concert series hosted by Philadelphia composer Andrea Clearfield.
A funeral service honoring Ms. Ingolfsson’s life and her passion for music is scheduled to be held on 31 August 2023, at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Curtis community extends its deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolences to all of Mirjam’s family, friends, students, and colleagues.
Photos of Mirjam Ingolfsson courtesy of artist’s website and the Ottsville Traditional Arts Center.