Wael Farouk, Piano

Biography

Hailed as “a formidable and magnificent pianist” by the New York Concert Review, Egyptian pianist Wael Farouk has already had an extensive performing career at the age of 31. With a repertoire spanning from Scarlatti to Bolcom, he commands more than 50 concertos and 60 solo programs, including the complete piano works of Chopin and Rachmaninoff. He has appeared as a soloist with orchestras on three continents, and has given the Egyptian premiers of Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2, and Prokofiev Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 2, and 3. 

Mr. Farouk has performed with numerous conductors, including Christoph Mueller, Steven Lloyd, Patrick Fournilier, and Philippe Entremont. He has toured England, Russia, Italy, France, Spain, Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Columbia, and Japan, including venues such as the White Hall in St. Petersburg, the Kurt Masur Hall at the Johann Sebastian Bach Music School in Leipzig, and Schumann’s house. In 2004, Mr. Farouk was given the honor of playing on Tchaikovsky’s piano—the first to do so since Vladimir Horowitz.  His first solo album, Russian Portraits, is being released on the new label Carlock Records in the Fall of 2012, and in the Spring of 2013, he will give his Carnegie Hall solo debut. 

Mr. Farouk’s career was born out of adversity. Despite receiving the highest scores on his entrance exams at the Cairo Conservatory, he originally was turned away due to his small stature and an unusual hand condition that prevents him from making a fist or straightening his fingers. Admitted for a trial period at the age of seven, he overcame all odds and became one of the conservatory’s most accomplished graduates.

Following his studies at the Cairo Conservatory, Mr. Farouk began his graduate studies in the United States at the Catholic University of America, where he studied on a Fulbright Fellowship with Marilyn Neeley. He earned his Masters from Converse College (studying with Doug Weeks), a Professional Studies Diploma from the Manhattan School of Music (studying with Solomon Mikowsky), and an Artist Diploma from Chicago School of Performing Arts (also with Dr. Mikowsky). He presently is working toward a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rutgers University (studying with Daniel Epstein), where he is a recipient of the prestigious Ralph Johnson Bunche Distinguished Graduate Award.   Mr. Farouk also serves on the piano faculty of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.