Page 9
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
This performance is sponsored, in part, by Richard L. and Jeanette Sias.
Dave and Gunda Hiebert are pleased to sponsor this performance by Jon Nakamatsu.
Sponsored by
Sunday
FEB 12
2:00 pm
FEB 12 | Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Page 10
JON NAKAMATSU, piano Please see your pre- and post-performance emails for program notes. Distinguished American pianist, Jon Nakamatsu, known internationally for the panache and elegance of his solo, concerto, and chamber performances, has become a favorite with audiences throughout the world. As a prolific recording artist, Mr. Nakamatsu has recorded numerous seminal performances on the harmonia mundi label. In his review of Mr. Nakamatsu’s recent performance of Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 2, Daniel J. Kushner writes in The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, “Nakamatsu evinced brilliant musicianship. His tone and articulation sparkled and shimmered, while his use of dynamics and energy brought out the lifeblood of each and every phrase” (May 1, 2015). In the 2016/17 season, Mr. Nakamatsu joined the Rochester Philharmonic for Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, as well as the Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra and the Helena Symphony. He also performed in solo recitals across the country, in New Jersey, Pensacola, FL, Waco, TX, as well as several towns throughout the state of California. In May 2017, Mr. Nakamatsu traveled to Japan for several performances in Okinawa and Miyako Island. In the 2016 summer season, Mr. Nakamatsu’s appearances included the Chautauqua Music Festival, the Aloha International Piano Festival, the Canadaigua Lake Music Festival, the Washington International Piano Festival, and the Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, where he was co-artistic director, with his longtime artistic partner, clarinetist Jon Manasse. In the fall of 2016, Jon Nakamatsu will join the piano faculty of the prestigious San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During the 2015/16 season, Mr. Nakamatsu joined the Seattle Symphony Orchestra for performances of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in October 2015. In September 2015, he returned to the Cape Cod Symphony for the premiere performance of Grammywinning composer Gordon Goodwin’s double concerto The Single Step, written for Mr. Nakamatsu and his longtime artistic partner, clarinetist Jon Manasse. Mr. Nakamatsu also performed Rachmaninoff’s Paganini Rhapsody in the Reno Philharmonic’s season opening concerts and joined Florida’s Atlantic Classical Orchestra for Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto in March 2016. Further orchestral appearances included the Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Meridian Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, Stockton Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Las Cruces Symphony, Santa Cruz Symphony, and the San Jose and Mission Chamber Orchestras. Both as a solo recitalist and as part of the Manasse-Nakamatsu duo, Mr. Nakamatsu performed in San Francisco, Fort Worth, Hawaii, and other American cities.
Page 11
FEB 12 | Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Mr. Nakamatsu has been an active guest soloist with leading orchestras throughout his career, including orchestras in Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Rochester, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Berlin, Milan, and Tokyo. He has collaborated with such esteemed conductors such as, James Conlon, Philippe Entremont, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Gerard Schwarz, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson Thomas and Osmo Vänskä. His numerous summer engagements have included appearances at the Aspen, Tanglewood, Ravinia, Caramoor, Vail, Wolftrap, and Britt festivals. In 1999, Mr. Nakamatsu performed at the White House at the special invitation of President and Mrs. Clinton. Mr. Nakamatsu has collaborated with many chamber ensembles including, Brentano, Jupiter, Miami, Tokyo, Prazak, St. Lawrence, and Ying String Quartets. He also tours frequently with the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet. In 2008, he debuted on the Philharmonic’s chamber music series performing with the quintet and members of the orchestra. In 2008, the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo released its first CD (Brahms Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano) which received the highest praise from The New York Times Classical Music Editor, James R. Oestreich, who named it a “Best of the Year” choice for 2008. In addition to their joint concert performances, Mr. Nakamatsu and Mr. Manasse serve as Artistic Directors of the esteemed Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, founded by pianist Samuel Sanders in 1979. Mr. Nakamatsu records exclusively for harmonia mundi USA, and has released 12 critically acclaimed CDs to date. All have garnered high critical praise. Notable releases include an all-Gershwin recording with Jeff Tyzik and the Rochester Philharmonic featuring Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Concerto in F, which rose to number three on Billboard’s classical music charts. A recently released trio disc of works by Brahms, Beethoven, and Weber with Mr. Manasse and cellist Clive Greensmith, which has elicited brilliant reviews from The New York Times (“Mr. Nakamatsu’s fleet-fingered clarity enhancing the vivacious outer movements and all three playing with deep expression in the Adagio”), Gramophone (“A most enjoyable disc, beautifully played and recorded, with the three players joining together to make a perfect ensemble”), and Audiophile Edition (“Every once in a while a disc comes along so good that I would award it six stars if my editor allowed such things”). As a high school German teacher with no formal conservatory training, Jon Nakamatsu’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto won him the Gold Medal at the 1997 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition amidst experienced competitors. Mr. Nakamatsu studied privately with the late Marina Derryberry from the age of six, and worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, son pianist Artur Schnabel. He also studied composition and orchestration with Dr. Leonard Stein of the Schoenberg Institute at the University of Southern California, and pursued extensive studies in chamber music and musicology. Mr. Nakamatsu is a graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s degree in German Studies and a master’s degree in Education.