Inon Barnatan, Piano

Biography

Pianist Inon Barnatan is rapidly gaining international recognition for his communicative performances and engaging programming. Since moving to the United States in 2006, he has made debuts with the Cleveland, San Francisco and Houston Symphony Orchestras, performed at New York's Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Metropolitan Museum and Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, and appeared at the festivals of Aspen, Vail, Music@Menlo, Santa Fe and Spoleto USA. His career has taken him to Europe's most illustrious venues, including the Royal Festival, Queen Elizabeth and Wigmore Halls in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Salla Verdi in Milan, Musikverein in Vienna, and Salle Gaveau in Paris. In 2009 he was awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant, one of the most prestigious prizes in classical music.

This summer Mr. Barnatan was in residence at Spoleto Festival USA before making his Philadelphia Orchestra debut in Vail, Colorado, and playing a solo recital at the Aspen Music Festival. Highlights of his 2010-2011 season include his return to the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and debuts with Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. In New York he performs at Carnegie's Zankel Hall and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Featured European engagements include at London's Wigmore Hall with frequent chamber music partner Alisa Weilerstein, and a return to the Concertgebouw.

This past season Inon Barnatan returned to the San Francisco Symphony, debuted with the Cleveland Orchestra at the Blossom Music Festival, and curated a festival of Schubert for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Other recital highlights include with the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Louvre Auditorium in Paris, the "Rising Stars" series at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, and the Gilmore Festival in Michigan.

As a concerto soloist Mr. Barnatan has appeared with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Porto Symphony, London Soloists Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of New Europe, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Haifa Symphony, Israel Chamber and Jerusalem Chamber Orchestras. As a chamber musician, he completed three seasons as a member of Lincoln Center's Chamber Music Society Two. He has collaborated with the Jerusalem String Quartet, Cho-Liang Lin, Miriam Fried, Gary Hoffman, Ralph Kirshbaum, Martin Frost and Paul Neubauer. He received the prestigious Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Prize in Rockport.

Mr. Barnatan's debut CD of Schubert was released on Bridge Records. Gramophone recommended the recording, calling Barnatan "a born Schubertian" and praising his "sensitivity, poise and focus." His second CD of works for piano and violin by Beethoven and Schubert with violinist Liza Ferschtman also won many accolades.

Born in Tel Aviv, Inon Barnatan started playing the piano at the age of three. In 1997 he moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2006 Mr. Barnatan moved to New York City, where he resides today.