EVREN OZEL, PIANO PIANO FESTIVAL

GET TICKETS American pianist Evren Ozel has been described as “an absolute wow” (Third Coast Review) and “an artist capable of lifting everyone to another level” (LaScena Musicale), praised for his blend of technical mastery and compelling artistry. He is the Bronze Medalist of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2025), where he also received the special prize for the Best Performance of a Mozart Concerto. The concert is followed by a reception where you can meet the artists. All are encouraged to attend. This concert is generously co-sponsored by David Knodel & Nancy Shih-Knodel Program Claude Debussy Preludes, Book I William Grant Still “Summerland” from Three Visions for Piano Robert Schumann Davidsbündlertänze, Op. 6 Program Notes The program notes will be provided closer to the concert date. About the Artist American pianist Evren Ozel has been described as “an absolute wow” (Third Coast Review) and “an artist capable of lifting everyone to another level” (LaScena Musicale), praised for his blend of technical mastery and compelling artistry. He is the Bronze Medalist of the 17th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition (2025), where he also received the special prize for the Best Performance of a Mozart Concerto. Ozel has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally, and is the recipient of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and a 2022 Salon de Virtuosi Career Grant. He is currently represented by Concert Artists Guild as an Ambassador Prize Winner of their 2021 Competition. Since making his orchestral debut with the Minnesota Orchestra at age 11, Ozel has appeared as soloist with the Cleveland Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Florida Orchestra, performing under conductors such as Marin Alsop, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Christian Reif, Ruth Reinhardt, and Hugh Wolff. His debut album—Mozart concertos recorded with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and conductor Howard Griffiths—was released in 2025 on Alpha Classics. Highlights of Ozel’s 2026-27 season include recitals at Washington Performing Arts, Capital Region Classical, and Cliburn Concerts, as well as concerto debuts with the Grand Rapids Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, Hartford Symphony, and Alabama Symphony. A laureate of both the Cleveland International Piano Competition and the Dublin International Piano Competition, Ozel has given recitals internationally at Salle Cortot (Paris), Brandenburgische Sommerkonzerte (Berlin), and Vilnius Piano Festival. A committed chamber musician, Ozel collaborates with artists including David Finckel and Wu Han, Stella Chen, Paul Huang, Geneva Lewis, Kim Kashkashian, and Marcy Rosen. He spent four summers at the Marlboro Music Festival, and is currently a 2024–27 Bowers Program Artist with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, with upcoming appearances at Alice Tully Hall. Raised in Minneapolis, Ozel studied with Cindy Malmin and later with Paul Wirth for seven years, while also drawing early musical guidance from Sarah Miller and conductor Courtney Lewis. He currently resides in Boston and holds Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Artist Diploma degrees from the New England Conservatory, where he studied with Wha Kyung Byun for eleven years. Among his other important mentors are Jonathan Biss, Imogen Cooper, Richard Goode, András Schiff, and Mitsuko Uchida.