Spencer Myer, Piano

Biography

Garnering equally stellar reviews across the globe for his passionate, sincere performances, Spencer Myer is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most outstanding young pianists of his generation. Winner of the Christel DeHaan Classical Fellowship from the 2006 American Pianists Association Competition, he also received both of the competition's special prizes, for highest scores received in Chamber Music and Lieder Accompanying.

In 2004, he captured First Prize in the 10th UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa, in addition to special prizes for the Best Performances of Bach, the Commissioned Work and the Semifinal Round recital, as well as both concerto prizes in the final round. Additionally, he was selected a laureate in the 2005 Cleveland, 2005 Busoni (where he also received the Audience Prize), 2004 Montreal and 2003 New Orleans International Piano Competitions. A graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Julian Martin, he has also been awarded First Prizes in the 2002 Heida Hermanns and 2000 Grace Welsh International Piano Competitions.         

During his undergraduate studies at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Mr. Myer was the recipient of the Dean's Talent Award, the John Elvin and Faustina Hurlbutt Piano Prizes, the Kaufman Chamber Music Award, the Piano Department Accompanying Award and the Ernest Wilkins Academic Award, and in the year 2000 became a recipient of a four-year Jacob K. Javits Memorial Fellowship from the U.S. Department of Education.

Mr. Myer's performances have taken him throughout North America, Canada, Europe, Africa and Asia, and have been broadcast on WQXR in New York, WHYY in Philadelphia, and WCLV in Cleveland. He has appeared in venues such as New York's Steinway Hall, 92nd Street Y and Alice Tully Hall, Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Cleveland's Severance Hall and London's Wigmore Hall. In October 2003, he made his New York recital debut in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, and made his Asian debut the following year in Beijing with the China National Symphony Orchestra. As a result of the UNISA Competition, he toured South Africa in May 2005 which included performances of the five Beethoven Concerti.

Mr. Myer's teachers have included Peter Takács, Joseph Schwartz, Christina Dahl, Robert Mayerovitch, Coren Mino and Ju-Ying Song. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Stony Brook University in May 2005.

Mr. Myer's 2005-06 season includes his Philadelphia recital debut, return engagements with the Haddonfield and Southeast Iowa Symphonies, a return tour to South Africa to perform the two Ravel Concerti in Cape Town and Durban, and his Indianapolis Symphony debut. He is now included on the prestigious roster of Philadelphia's Astral Artistic Services, as winner of their 2003 National Auditions, and can be heard on the Dimension Records label performing music of late Cleveland comppser Frederick Koch.