Joseph Rackers, Piano
Performances by Joseph Rackers
| Composer | Title | Date | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sergei Rachmaninov | Etude-Tableaux, Op, 39, No. 5 in e-flat minor | 05/04/2009 |
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| Maurice Ravel | La Valse | 05/04/2009 |
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| John Corigliano | Etude Fantasy | 05/04/2009 |
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| Johann Sebastian Bach | Prelude and Fugue in E Major from Well-Tempered Clavier Book II | 05/04/2009 |
|
Joseph Rackers, Piano
Biography
Praised as "inspiring" (Sulzbach-Rosenberger, Germany), an "exceptional pianist" possessing "enormous talents" (The State, SC), Joseph Rackers has performed for enthusiastic audiences in major musical centers of the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. Recent performance venues include the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music, Yantai International Music Festival (China), Varna International Masterclasses in Piano (Bulgaria), Moulin d'Ande Arts Festival (France), Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada), Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival (Germany), Summer Evenings in Kiev Concert Series and Chernigoff Symphony Orchestra (Ukraine). His appearances as soloist with orchestras, on concerts series or at universities have taken Mr. Rackers to every region of the United States.
Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Rackers has performed with members of the Atlanta Symphony, Charleston Symphony and Missouri Symphony, among others. As part of the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo, he was awarded the Second Prize at the Sixth Biennial Ellis Competition for Duo Pianists (2005), the only national duo piano competition in the United States. Their performances have been described as "splendid" (Rochester, WXXI radio), and "simply dazzling" (The State, SC).
Mr. Rackers holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music where he was also awarded the Performer's Certificate and Excellence in Teaching Prize. He served as teaching assistant to Natalya Antonova, who was also his primary teacher along with Raymond Herbert.
Other teaching positions for Mr. Rackers include on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music Community Education Division, at the Hochstein Music School and with Southeastern Piano Festival. He has given masterclasses or adjudicated competitions in Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Virginia. Mr. Rackers serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of South Carolina School of Music.