Paul Zukofsky (October 22, 1943 – June 6, 2017) was an American violinist and conductor known for his work in the field of contemporary classical music.
[2] The New York Times praised his technique, noting he had gone through "a difficult program without turning a hair or moving a facial muscle" and described him as a "deadpan bundle of talent.
As one succinct description puts it: "From his earliest years he was fascinated by ultramodern music and developed maximal celerity, dexterity, and alacrity in manipulating special techniques, in effect transforming the violin into a multimedia instrument beyond its normal capacities.
"[2][7] He is best known for his performances of and collaborations with many of the key composers of contemporary classical music, such as Milton Babbitt, Arthur Berger, Easley Blackwood, Henry Brant, John Cage, Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Morton Feldman, Philip Glass, Peter Mennin, Krzysztof Penderecki, Walter Piston, J. K. Randall, Wallingford Riegger, Giacinto Scelsi, Artur Schnabel, Roger Sessions, Ralph Shapey, Harvey Sollberger, Stefan Wolpe, Charles Wuorinen, and Iannis Xenakis.
[13] From 1976 to 1977, Zukofsky was a resident visitor at the Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, New Jersey, participating in research on timing in musical performance.
These include some notable renditions of classics, such as Paganini's Twenty-four Caprices and Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for Violin.
However, his primary focus was on contemporary classical music and with always an interest in championing work he believed was underappreciated, such as that of Artur Schnabel and Armin Loos.
He did a significant amount of recording in Japan and had long associations, especially with composers Jo Kondo and Yuji Takahashi.