St. Andrews Bach Society

Steven Moeckel’s extensive command of the concerto repertoire including the works of Elgar, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Beethoven, Sibelius, Berg, and Ysaÿe has brought him acclaim throughout Europe, South America and the U.S. As a soloist and concert artist, he is known for his artful interpretations, rich sound, and technical prowess. As a chamber artist, Moeckel has performed as violinist of the Makart Trio Salzburg with Erika Frieser and Dana Micacoi, and as first violinist of the Auraeus quartet in concerts throughout Europe. His notable U.S. appearances include the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, where he performed with Leon Fleisher and Menachem Pressler, and an engagement with the 2008 Sewanee Music Festival where appeared with cellist Andres Diaz in Brahms: Concerto for Violin and Cello in A minor, Op. 102.

 Moeckel also frequently appears in recital with celebrated pianist Pauia Fan. His semifinal round performance at the 2005 Sibelius Competition, accompanied by Fan, received multiple curtain calls from the audience and rave reviews in the Helsinki press. Their debut CD, ‘Herein Lies the Soul…’ was released in 2007 and the duo completed two highly successful recital tours in Mexico and Costa Rica during the spring of 2008.

Born in Germany, Steven Moeckel began his musical career at an early age, first as violinist, then performing at the age of eleven as principal soprano soloist for the renowned Vienna Boys Choir. After leaving the choir, he resumed violin studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, graduating with honors at the age of nineteen. He immediately assumed the position of Co-concertmaster of Germany’s Ulm Philharmonic, where he remained for three seasons. Moeckel’s principal teachers include Helmut Zehetmair, Leonidas Kavakos and the distinguished American violinist Miriam Fried. Moeckel currently resides in Tucson, Arizona where he performs regularly as soloist and held the position of Concertmaster of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra from 2002 to 2008. He is now the Concertmaster of the Phoenix Symphony. 

Pianist Paula Fan has performed as soloist and chamber musician on five continents. As one of the first recipients of the doctorate in the art of accompanying, she has been in great demand as associate artist for numerous internationally recognized singers and instrumentalists and has lectured on the subject at educational institutions worldwide. Since the early 1980's Dr. Fan's interest in her heritage has led her to China to join teachers at conservatories in Beijing, Tianjin and Sichuan in introducing their students to repertoire and traditions of Western performance. In 1980, she joined members of the Beijing Central Philharmonic for the first concert of Western chamber music since the Cultural Revolution, and the following year, as the first ever accompanist-coach invited by the Chinese Ministry of Culture, organized and accompanied the first evening of art song heard in decades.

With her husband and sonata partner, the late John Denman, Dr. Fan has recorded most of the masterworks of the clarinet repertoire. In addition, she has recorded a number of the solo piano works of Dussek in new editions based on early printed sources, the result of research in libraries in London and Paris. She has also broadcast regularly for the BBC, National Public Radio, Radio Television China, Australian radio and other international stations. Most recently she has performed at the Settimane Pianistische Internazionali Festival in Cremona, Italy and in recitals in Sarajevo, Bosnia. Currently Dr. Fan is pianist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and Regents’ Professor of Music at the University of Arizona School of Music.