Birth

:

in New Hampshire

 

Matthew Odell is a renowned classical pianist who has captivated audiences around the world with his virtuosic performances and deep musicality. Born in 1979 in New York City, Odell showed an early aptitude for music and began studying piano at the age of five. He quickly demonstrated a natural talent for the instrument, and his parents enrolled him in the Juilliard School's Pre-College Division, where he studied with the esteemed pianist Yoheved Kaplinsky. Odell's musical education continued at the Juilliard School, where he earned his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in piano performance. During his time at Juilliard, he studied with some of the most renowned pianists of the day, including Jerome Lowenthal, Robert McDonald, and György Sándor. He also had the opportunity to perform in masterclasses with such luminaries as Leon Fleisher, Murray Perahia, and András Schiff. Odell's talent and hard work paid off early in his career, as he won numerous awards and competitions. In 2001, he was a finalist in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world. He also won the William Petschek Piano Debut Recital Award from the Juilliard School, which gave him the opportunity to perform a solo recital at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center. Odell's career as a concert pianist took off in the years following his graduation from Juilliard. He has performed as a soloist with many of the world's leading orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has also given recitals in major concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the Royal Festival Hall in London, and the Berlin Philharmonic. One of the highlights of Odell's career came in 2008, when he performed the complete solo piano works of Samuel Barber in a series of concerts at the Juilliard School. The performances were hailed as a major achievement, and Odell's sensitive and insightful interpretations of Barber's music won him critical acclaim. Odell is also a passionate advocate for contemporary music, and he has premiered works by many of today's leading composers. He has collaborated with such composers as John Adams, Elliott Carter, and Steve Reich, and he has performed at festivals dedicated to contemporary music, such as the Bang on a Can Marathon and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. In addition to his career as a performer, Odell is also a dedicated teacher. He has taught at the Juilliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, and the University of Michigan, and he has given masterclasses around the world. His students have gone on to win major competitions and perform in prestigious concert halls. Odell's recordings have also received critical acclaim. His recording of the complete solo piano works of Samuel Barber was released on the Bridge Records label in 2010, and it was named one of the best classical recordings of the year by The New York Times. His recording of the piano music of Charles Ives, also on Bridge Records, was similarly praised for its insightful interpretations and technical mastery. Throughout his career, Odell has remained committed to exploring the depths of the piano repertoire and bringing new insights to familiar works.

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