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The American harpsichordist and baker, Judith Norell, graduatedd from Swarthmore College and the Israel Academy of Music in Jerusalem, Israel, studied piano, then harpsichord. She lived in Israel for almost 10 years, and in London for about the blink of an eye, before coming back to the USA. She completed her harpsichord studies and earned her Master of Music degree at Juilliard School of Music in New York, studying with Albert Fuller. She also studied at The Royal College of Music, London. Rafael Puyana was also among her teachers.
After her New York debut in 1971, Judith Norell made her European debut the following year in London and has since appeared in Paris, Hamburg, Berlin, and Strasbourg on the Continent as well as in the USA. She made frequent appearances in New York City, including ones with the flautist Linda Wetherill. ln addition to her harpsichord recitals and orchestral appearances in cities such as Boston, Washington, San Francisco, Chicago, Grand Rapids and other cities, she started activity as a conductor, making her conducting debut in January 1975 at Catholic University. She was founder/director of the Baroque Music Masters. She also founded a Baroque opera company in Palm Beach. She conducted operas by Rameau and Purcell in Washington and Monteverdi in New York. She also appeared as soloist with the Baltimore Symphony and made her debut at The Newport Music Festival. She was also in demad for chamber recitals with the Humbert Lucarelli (Oboe)/Norell (Harpsichord)/ Renée Siebert (Flute) Trio, and also was a frequent continuo player with the New York City, Washington, and Houston Operas; the Kennedy Center Chamber Orchestra (including J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 5); Clarion Society; and the Orpheus Ensemble. She was harpsichordist-in-residence at both the Aspen and Tanglewood Music Festivals, and appeared also at Spoleto Festival in Italy.
During the 1970's and the early 1980's, Judith Norell travelled throughout the USA in solo harrpsichord recitals, performing mostly in New York City, in such venues as Carnegie Recital Hall and Merkin Concert Hall, playing works by J.S. Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Alessandro Scarlatti & Domenico Scarlatti, Benedetto Marcello, Nicolsa Siret, François Couperin, W.A. Mozart and many others. In 1985, she decided to celebrate the 300th birthday of J.S. Bach by perffming series of 26 concerts comprising the complete house music of J.S. Bach. All 26 concerts took place in New York City apartments and were broadcst by WNYC FM.
Judith Norell has recorded for the BBC London., Radio-France, Norddeutscherundfunk, and Süddeutscherundfunk. Her other recordings appeared on the Columbia, Vox, Musical Heritage Society, Sine Qua Non and DTR labels.
Got frustrated with the music world, Judith Norell moved to politics supporting female candidates, started a catering company (now into her 50s). For many years, she was a concert harpsichordist with a passion for baking bread. She now decided she had always wanted to bake. At age 60, she gave up her music career, apprenticed at Amy’s Bread and studied pastry making with a the master baker Gérard Mulot in Paris (she was at least twice as old as the other apprentices.). The day after she returned to New York City, she was hired at Le Pain Quotidien. It was a start. She worked at various bakeries for a year or so - always at least twice the age of her co-bakers. Then, in November 2000, she opened Silver Moon Bakery on Upper Broadway, not far from Columbia University. It was an enormous undertaking. It has been a major success ever since. And, 20 years later, it is still going strong, enriching the neighborhood and serving as a meeting point for UWS people from all walks of life. She cares deeply for all the people who work for and with her and does her best to treat them fairly and with dignity. |
