Historical
Piano Concerts Series
About
the Musicians
Geoffrey Burleson
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Geoffrey Burleson,
pianist, has performed to wide acclaim throughout Europe and North
America, and is equally active as a recitalist, concerto soloist,
chamber musician and jazz performer. The New York Times has hailed his
solo performances as “vibrant” and “compelling”, and has praised his
“command, projection of rhapsodic qualities without loss of rhythmic
vigor, and appropriate sense of spontaneity and fetching colors”. And
the Boston Globe refers to Mr. Burleson as a “remarkable pianist” and
“a first-class instrumental presence” whose performances are “outright
thrilling.” His numerous acclaimed solo appearances include prominent
venues in Paris (at the Église St-Merri), New York, Rome (American
Academy), Athens (Mitropoulos Hall), Mexico City (National Museum of
Art), Rotterdam (De Doelen), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series),
Boston, Washington, Switzerland, England, Spain, and
elsewhere. He has also appeared as featured soloist in many
international festivals, including the Bard Music Festival, Santander
Festival (Spain) and the Talloires International Festival.
Mr.
Burleson made his New York City solo recital debut at Merkin Hall in
2000, sponsored by the League of Composers/ISCM. He has appeared as
concerto soloist with the Boston Musica Viva, Arlington Philharmonic,
New England Philharmonic, and the Holland Symfonia in the Netherlands,
performing repertoire ranging from Mozart, Weber and Saint-Saëns to
Gershwin and Klaas de Vries. Mr. Burleson is principal pianist with the
Boston Musica Viva, The New York Art Ensemble, and David Sanford’s
Pittsburgh Collective. Recent touring projects include “Akoka: Messiaen
Remix”, a program featuring Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, and
including new works commenting on it by David Krakauer and DJ Socalled,
with David Krakauer, clarinet; Matt Haimovitz, cello; and Todd
Reynolds, violin. Burleson also performs with the Tango Project, a trio
with accordionist William Schimmel and violinist Mary Rowell, and
Impetus, an avant-cabaret trio with vocalist Maria Tegzes and guitarist
David “Knife” Fabris. He is additionally a member of Princeton
University’s Richardson Chamber Players. As a jazz pianist, Mr.
Burleson has performed extensively at home and abroad, both as soloist
and in many ensembles. The Boston Globe has lauded his jazz
performances, praising his “solos filled with complex harmonic and
rhythmic figures”, as well as his “compact and dramatic” arrangements
of works by such diverse artists as Eric Dolphy and Patti Smith.
A
laureate of the International Piano Recording Competition (Silver
Medal), and the Vienna Modern Masters International Performers’
Competition, Mr. Burleson was also the recipient of a DAAD Grant from
the German government to support a residency at the Academy of Arts in
Berlin. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, New England
Conservatory, and Stony Brook University (D.M.A.), his principal
teachers include Gilbert Kalish, Leonard Shure, Veronica Jochum,
Lillian Freundlich, and Tinka Knopf.
Currently, Mr. Burleson is
recording the complete piano works of Camille Saint-Saëns, being
released on 5 CD volumes on the new Naxos Grand Piano label. Saint-Saëns: Complete Piano Works 1: Complete Piano Études, the inaugural release on the new label, Saint-Saëns: Complete Piano Works 2, and Character Pieces (Vol. 3) were all released in 2012, and have met with high international acclaim. Other recent releases include Roy Harris-Complete Piano Music (Naxos), and Vincent Persichetti: Complete Piano Sonatas
(New World Records), a 2-CD set on which all twelve of Persichetti’s
piano sonatas are united on one release for the first time.
The Persichetti recording was accorded high acclaim from the BBC Music
Magazine (“BBC Music Choice”; 5 of 5 stars), a laudatory feature review
in Gramophone, and was listed among the best recordings released in
2008 by Fanfare and the American Record Guide. Another
recent release is Odd Couple
(Oxingale Records), a duo CD of American works with cellist Matt
Haimovitz, featuring the Barber and Carter Sonatas, as well as newer
works by David Sanford and Augusta Read Thomas.
Mr. Burleson
teaches piano at Princeton University, and is Associate Professor of
Music and Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College-City University
of New York.
You will find more information on his web site, http://www.geoffreyburleson.com/ .