Soheil Nasseri, Piano

Biography

Soheil Nasseri has been acclaimed by The New York Times as “consistently interesting... consistently thoughtful...a vivid imagination. Filled with character...” and by the Berliner Zeitung as “Fantastic! A real talent.” In addition to enthusiastic international praise, The New Yorker has noted that Mr. Nasseri is “one of New York’s most prolific recitalists.” Since the fall of 2001, he has performed numerous solo recital programs in New York: at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, and at Merkin Concert Hall in addition to many other venues. These concerts included 25 premières of contemporary works in addition to 29 of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, a part of Mr. Nasseri’s pledge to perform all Beethoven works involving piano, including chamber music and lieder, by the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 2020.

Mr. Nasseri made his European recital debut in May 2004 at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Sicily. Since then, he has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls. In addition to his regular New York concerts, he has recently performed solo recitals or concerti at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center in Washington, Berlin’s Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, London’s Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, Tokyo’s Musashino Center, Florence’s Teatro Comunale, as well as concerts in Montreal, Bucharest, Baltimore, Portland (Oregon), Jacksonville (Florida), Norfolk, Tehran (Iran), and Kerman (Iran). As concerto soloist Mr. Nasseri has appeared with conductors Fabio del Cioppo, Justus Frantz, David LaMarche, John Lopez, Edward Polochick, and Ormsby Wilkins, and he is also active as a chamber musician, playing several piano quintets at Bargemusic in New York among other venues, and collaborating with tenor Daniel Magdal on the Beethoven lieder.

In May and June 2010 he joined the American Ballet Theatre for eight sold-out all-Chopin performances at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, playing an integral role onstage as a pianist—both acting and performing—in the John Neumeier ballet Lady of the Camellias. Additionally, Mr. Nasseri performed a 10-minute solo-piano excerpt of this ballet at the ABT season-opening Gala at the Metropolitan Opera, joining star dancers Julie Kent and Roberto Bolle.

One of Soheil Nasseri’s foremost interests has been his inner-city public school music education program. Mr. Nasseri has given concerts at more than 60 public schools in the U.S. since 2003, with a combined audience of about 25,000 students. Mr. Nasseri is also passionately committed to promoting new music of young classical composers and many composers have written pieces specifically for him, including Richard Danielpour, and Avner Dorman. As a recording artist he has 6 solo discs on the Naxos, Centaur, Mahoor, and 21st Century Classical labels.

Born to Iranian parents in Santa Monica, California, Soheil Nasseri moved to New York in part to study with the late Karl Ulrich Schnabel (1909–2001). In 2001 Mr. Nasseri began studies with Jerome Lowenthal who remains Mr. Nasseri’s mentor today, along with Claude Frank.