David Kaplan, Piano

Biography

Since his debut as a concerto soloist at the age of 9, pianist David Kaplan has been lauded for his “grace and fire” at the keyboard, and most recently by The New York Times for “striking imagination and creativity.” First appearing in recital at the Bard Festival in 1994, he has performed in such prestigious venues as Weill and Avery Fisher halls. In recent seasons, he performed as recitalist in Berlin, Barcelona, Chicago, and New York, and as a chamber musician in the US, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Denmark. Having collaborated from an early age with his father, the violinist Mark Kaplan, David is a veteran of many distinguished chamber music festivals and series: he has appeared at the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Chamber Music Northwest, Barge Music, and the Canadian festivals of Banff and Orford. In addition, he has been a guest at Ravinia, Tanglewood, and the Mostly Mozart Festival, where he performed at the invitation of Itzhak Perlman.

Kaplan´s enthusiasm for contemporary music has led him to premiere works of many composers, including Ezra Laderman and Timothy Andres, whose concerto, Home Stretch, was written for him. In their debut recording for Nonesuch, featuring the composer´s two piano suite, Shy and Mighty, he and Andres “dazzle on the ivories.” The highly acclaimed disc has earned them top spots in Alex Ross´s CD Picks. David also drew critical praise from The Boston Globe and The New York Times for his performances at the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music of the complex Hans Abrahamsen Piano Concerto. He delights in the unexpected, and his collaborations with Patrick Bernatchez, a French-Canadian artist, have been personal highlights. For exhibitions at the Kunstlerhaus Bethanien in Berlin and Montreal Museum of Modern Art, they created a recording of the Goldberg Variations for a specially prepared piano. This Spring, the pair complete a video piece featuring piano works of Ligeti and Lekeu, sometimes performed upside down.

David spent the past two years in Berlin, where he studied conducting under the auspices of a Fulbright Grant. In the Fall, he returned to New York to join The Academy, a Program of Carnegie Hall, Juilliard, and the Weill Institute. His work for the Academy includes extensive teaching and community outreach as well as a full schedule of appearances with the group’s high profile performing wing, the Ensemble ACJW.

Most recently a student of Claude Frank at the Yale School of Music, his principle childhood mentors were Walter Ponce and Miyoko Lotto. In addition, he has had the opportunity to learn from many other distinguished pianists, including Emanuel Ax, Leon Fleisher, Richard Goode, Anton Kuerti, Murray Perahia, Manahem Pressler, and Andre Watts. He has also worked extensively with several renowned new music performers, including Gilbert Kalish, Ursula Oppens and Charles Rosen.

Away from the piano, David is a passionate cook, and is mildly obsessed with classic cars.