Shai Wosner

Pianist Shai Wosner has attracted international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. His performances of a broad range of repertoire from Beethoven and Mozart to Schoenberg and Ligeti, as well as music by his contemporaries, communicates his imaginative programming and intellectual curiosity. Mr. Wosner’s virtuosity and perceptiveness have made him a favorite among audiences and critics, who have praised him for his “keen musical mind and deep musical soul” (NPR’s All Things Considered).

Mr. Wosner has appeared with numerous major orchestras in North America including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Atlanta, Baltimore, Berkeley, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and San Francisco. In Europe, he has appeared with the Bournemouth Symphony, Staats-kapelle Berlin, LSO St. Luke’s, Gothenburg Symphony, Barcelona Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Sym-phony, Orchestre National de Belgique and Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, and at Cardiff’s Hoddinott Hall, among others. He made his debut with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Salzburg, during the 250th anniversary celebrations of Mozart’s birth. He has worked with such conductors as Daniel Barenboim, Jirí Bolohlávek, James Conlon, Alan Gilbert, Gunther Herbig, James Judd, Zubin Mehta, Peter Oundjian, Donald Runnicles, and Leonard Slatkin.

Mr. Wosner’s 2013–14 orchestral engagements include Mozart piano concertos with the Hamburger Symphoniker, the BBC Scottish Sym-phony, and the Discovery Ensemble at Boston’s Jordan Hall. He plays Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto with the Pasadena Symphony and the German premiere of Michael Hersch’s concerto “Along the Ravines” (a work he commissioned and premiered with the Seattle Symphony in 2012) with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie–Saarbrücken. Widely praised for his interpretations of Franz Schubert’s solo works, both in concert and on recording, Mr. Wosner will present Schubert works in recital throughout the season, with performances at Cal Performances in Berkeley, in Fresno, CA, and Schenectady, NY; at Wigmore Hall in London; and at the Festival de Musica de Camara in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

His previous recordings include an album of solo piano works by Schubert that incorporate elements of folk music and a album that juxtaposes works by Brahms and Schoenberg, both released on the Onyx label.

Mr. Wosner is widely sought after by colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership. He is a former member of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society Two and performs regularly at various chamber music festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, the Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Piano Aux Jacobins festival in France, and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. He has performed at summer festivals including the Ravinia Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart, Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. For several consecutive summers, Wosner was involved in the West-Eastern Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Mr. Wosner is a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. He was in residence with the BBC as a New Generation Artist, during which he played frequently with BBC orchestras, including appearances conducting Mozart concertos from the keyboard with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. He also returned to the BBC Scottish Symphony in both subscription concerts and performances at the Proms with Donald Runnicles, and appeared with the BBC Philharmonic in a live broadcast from Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall.

Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner enjoyed a broad musical education from a very early age, studying piano with Emanuel Krasovsky as well as composition, theory, and improvisation with André Hajdu. He later studied at The Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax. Mr. Wosner resides in New York City with his wife and two children.

For more information: shaiwosner.com