 The career of pianist Jeffrey Biegel has been marked by bold, creative achievements and highlighted by a series of firsts.
He performed the first live internet recitals in New York and Amsterdam in 1997 and 1998, enabling him to be seen and heard by a global audience. In 1999, he assembled the largest consortium of orchestras (over 25), to celebrate the millennium with a new concerto composed for him by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. The piece, entitled 'Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra', was premiered with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1997, he performed the World Premiere of the restored, original 1924 manuscript of George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' with the Boston Pops. Charles Strouse composed a new work titled 'Concerto America' for Biegel, celebrating America and honoring the heroes and events of 9-11. Biegel premiered the piece with the Boston Pops in 2002. He transcribed the first edition of Balakirev's 'Islamey Fantasy' for piano and orchestra, which he premiered with the American Symphony Orchestra in 2001, and edited and recorded the first complete set of all '25 Preludes' by Cesar Cui.
Currently, he is assembling the first global consortium for the new 'Concerto no. 3 for Piano and Orchestra' being composed for him by Lowell Liebermann for 2005-06-07. The World Premiere will take place with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andreas Delfs on May 12-14 2006, followed by the European Premiere with the Schleswig Holstein Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Gerard Oskamp, February 6-9, 2007.
Biegel is currently on the piano faculty at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College, at the City University of New York (CUNY) and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY).
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Friday, June 02, 2006
The dog is the best teacher!
On a personal note, we had to put our dog, Minnie, to sleep yesterday--a very difficult experience. She came into our lives in 1990 just after we were married--so the two boys came into this world with mom, dad and dog--their older sister! When I knew she was slowing dying, I brought her to the piano and let her lie down quietly and listen to Chopin Waltzes and some Beethoven. She had already been deaf from vestibular disease three years ago, but I knew she could hear through the floor. When she was younger, she would come into the roon where I was teaching DMA students, and if it was good playing, she stayed. If they weren't playing well, she always got up and walked out (reminded me of my teacher, Adele Marcus--who would just leave the room when we played less than up-to-snuff!) When she left the room, the students would laugh, and I'd say, 'The dog is your best teacher!!'
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
9:28 AM
Billy Joel Fantasies to the Indianapolis Symphony
The Billy Joel "Symphonic Fantasies for Piano and Orchestra" makes its second stop after the premiere at the Eastern Music Festival with the Indianapolis Symphony on July 7 and 8 to celebrate their 25th Anniversary Prairie Summer Series. Stuart Malina will conduct. If you are nearby, please come to the concert--would love to see you there!!
posted by Jeffrey Biegel
9:20 AM
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