Yael Weiss, Piano

Biography

Pianist Yael Weiss, hailed for her visionary interpretations of surpassing depth and communicative power, was portrayed by the Washington Post, following a recent recital, as “a pianist who delves deeply and tellingly into that cloudy area where fantasy morphs into improvisation, inventiveness being common to both.”

Ms. Weiss has performed across the United States, Europe, Japan, Korea and South America at such venues as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall.  Her New York recital debut, presented by the Metropolitan Museum, was acclaimed by the New York Times as, "remarkably powerful and intense . . . fine technique and musicianship in the service of an arresting array of music."  A frequent soloist with major orchestras, Ms. Weiss has appeared with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Chautauqua Festival Orchestra, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra, and the Brazil National Symphony, among others.

Yael Weiss’s discography encompasses piano works by over a dozen composers, with two recent releases, “Robert Schumann: Piano Works” and “88 Keys to Joy”, both on the Koch International Classics label. Ms. Weiss is also devoted to chamber music, and tours worldwide with her piano trio, the Weiss-Kaplan-Newman Trio with violinist Mark Kaplan and cellist Clancy Newman.  Ms. Weiss is a regular favorite at international music festivals including the Marlboro, Ravinia, City of London, Banff, Parry Sound, Caramoor, and the Seattle Chamber Music Festival. 

Ms. Weiss’s 2010/11 season features several world premiere performances, including Joel Feigin’s Piano Concerto, which was both written for and dedicated to her. She is known to radio and television audiences, having been a frequent guest on National Public Radio, the BBC in London, and New York’s WQXR and WNYC.

Ms. Weiss has won distinguished prizes from the Naumburg International Piano Competition and the Kosciusko Foundation Chopin Piano Competition, and has been a recipient of the Presser Award. She studied with Richard Goode and Edward Aldwell at the Mannes College of Music and with Leon Fleisher and Ellen Mack at the Peabody Conservatory.  She currently serves on the faculty of the Indiana University School of Music. Further information and musical offerings are available on www.yaelweiss.com. Yael Weiss is represented by Jonathan Wentworth Associates.