Download Biography 2015-16

SHAI WOSNER
Piano
Biography – 515 words
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, communicate his imaginative
programming and intellectual curiosity. Mr. Wosner has appeared with major orchestras worldwide
including the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber
Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony in the US, and the Barcelona
Symphony, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Hamburg Symphony, LSO St. Luke’s and Staatskapelle Berlin in
Europe, among others. He has worked with conductors Daniel Barenboim, James Conlon, Alan Gilbert,
Zubin Mehta and Leonard Slatkin. Mr. Wosner is the recipient of Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal award,
an Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award—a prize he used to commission
Michael Hersch’s concerto Along the Ravines, which he then performed with the Seattle Symphony and
Deutsche Radio Philharmonie-Saarbrücken.
Widely praised for his interpretations of Schubert’s solo repertoire, Mr. Wosner has been focused
on the composer in recent seasons and has performed his solo works in recitals across the US and at
London’s Wigmore Hall. Mr. Wosner is widely sought after by colleagues for his versatility and spirit of
partnership and often performs duo recitals with violinists Jennifer Koh, Viviane Hagner and Veronica
Eberle. He is a former member of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society Two and performs regularly at
various chamber music festivals. For several consecutive summers, he took part in the West-Eastern
Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
Mr. Wosner has recorded three albums of solo works which were released by Onyx: Schubert’s
Six moments musicaux, D. 780, Missy Mazzoli’s Isabelle Eberhardt Dreams of Pianos, and Schubert’s
Sonata in A Major, D. 959. in November 2014; a selection of piano works by Schubert that incorporate
elements of folk music in October 2011; and his debut solo recording of works by Brahms and
Schoenberg in August 2010. His first joint recording with Jennifer Koh, Signs, Games + Messages,
featuring works by Bartók, Janáček and Kurtág, was released in October 2013 on the Cedille Records
label.
During the 2015-16 season, Mr. Wosner continues his collaborations with violinist Jennifer Koh
with the Bridge to Beethoven series. The project explores the impact and significance Beethoven has had
on a diverse group of composers and musicians. By pairing Beethoven’s ten sonatas for violin and piano
with new works over four programs, this project seeks to ignite creative conversations around his music
not only as a cornerstone of classical music but as a universal, culture-crossing source of inspiration.
Bridge to Beethoven features new commissions from composers Vijay Iyer, Andrew Norman and Anthony
Cheung. Bridge to Beethoven will be presented in venues such as the 92 nd Street Y in New York City,
Hahn Hall in Santa Barbara, and Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, among others.
Mr. Wosner’s
upcoming orchestral engagements include performances with the Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe,
Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Columbus Symphony, Florida Orchestra, Jacksonville
Symphony, Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, and Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra.