Brian Ganz - Pianist

Brian Ganz is widely regarded as one of the leading pianists of his generation. Washington Post critic Joan Reinthaler has written: “One comes away from a recital by pianist Brian Ganz not only exhilarated by the power of the performance but also moved by his search for artistic truth.” AWARDS Brian Ganz was winner of one of two First Grand Prizes awarded in the 1989 Marguerite Long Jacques Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, where he was also awarded special prizes for the best recital round of the competition and the best performance of the required work. That same year he won a Beethoven Fellowship awarded by the American Pianists Association, and in 1991 he was a silver medalist with third prize in the Queen Elisabeth of Belgium International Piano Competition. After his performance in the finals of the Brussels competition, the critic for La Libre Belgique wrote: “We don't have the words to speak of this fabulous musician who lives music with a generous urgency and brings his public into a state of intense joy.” PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS Brian has appeared as soloist with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (of Russia), the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony, the National Philharmonic, the City of London Sinfonia, L'Orchestre Lamoureux, and L'Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte Carlo. He has performed in such halls as the Beaux-Arts in Brussels, De Doelen in Rotterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, L'Arena Theater in Verona, and the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki. Some of Brian’s recent concert highlights include performances of Mozart concerti with the Memphis Symphony and the National Philharmonic and a performance with the Taipei Philharmonic Orchestra at the Kennedy Center concert hall, under the baton of Yoel Levi. He has also performed with such conductors as Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop, Mstislav Rostropovich, Philippe Entremont, Pinchas Zukerman, Leon Fleisher and Jerzy Semkow. RECORDINGS AND PUBLICATIONS In 1992 Brian made his recording debut for the Gailly label in Belgium, and his recordings of works of Chopin and Dutilleux have been released on the Accord label in Paris. In 2001 he began a project with Maestoso Records in which he will record the complete works of Frederic Chopin. Brian was also recently engaged as an artist/editor for the new Schirmer Performance Editions (published jointly by Hal Leonard and G. Schirmer). His first edition, the Chopin Preludes, was published in the summer of 2005. ON THE ACADEMIC SIDE… Brian is a graduate of the Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. Earlier teachers include Ylda Novik and the late Claire Deene. Gifted as a teacher himself, Brian is Artist-in-Residence at St. Mary's College of Maryland, where he has been a member of the piano faculty since 1986, and in 2000 he joined the piano faculty of the Peabody Conservatory. In December 2001 he was honored to serve on the jury of the Long Thibaud competition in Paris. LIFE Brian says that he is “an active explorer of the many ways in which the study and performance of great music can remind us of the Spirit that unites all living things.” He is a longtime student of the book A Course in Miracles and is an ardent seeker on the spiritual path. He has donated numerous performances in benefit concerts and was a founding member of the Washington Chapter of Artists to End Hunger. He is the proud dad of Dylan Ganz, a student at the Annapolis area Key School. This page is managed by the Friends of Brian Ganz. It's devoted to Brian's quest to perform all of Frédéric Chopin’s works. Thanks for your support!