Jon Nakamatsu
Jon Yasuhiro Nakamatsu (born 1968,
.About
He is the son of David Y. Nakamatsu, a San Jose electrical engineer, and Karen F. Maeda Nakamatsu, a city employee. He was raised in nearby Sunnyvale, California and attended Prospect High School and Stanford University before becoming a German teacher at St. Francis High School in Mountain View.[2]
In June 1997 Nakamatsu won the Gold Medal at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas.[2] He was the first American to win this prize since 1981. Immediately following the competition, he quit his job as a high school German teacher to pursue a career as a classical pianist. He did not attend a music conservatory or major in music while he attended college and graduate school.
During the summer of 2005, Nakamatsu toured with the
Education
- Studied piano privately with Marina Derryberry[3] since age 6 (1974).
- Graduated from Prospect High School, Saratoga, California, 1986
- A.A. Associate of Arts degree, Foothill College (community college), Los Altos Hills, California, 2000 (officially awarded long after degree requirements met)
- B.A. Bachelor of Arts degree in German Studies, Stanford University, California, 1991
- M.A. Master of Arts degree in Education, Stanford Graduate School of Education, California, 1992
Career
- May–June 2007: Regular Jury member, Fifth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, Fort Worth, Texas
- 2006-current: Co-Artistic Director of Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (with Jon Manasse)[4]
- June 2000: Regular Jury member (preliminaries only), Second International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, Fort Worth, Texas
- June 1999: Regular Jury member (all three rounds), First International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, Fort Worth, Texas
- 1997–current: Full-time pianist
- 1991–1997: Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, Californiaand part-time pianist.
Debuts
venue | date |
---|---|
Vancouver Symphony Orchestra | 22 May 2009[5] |
Trivia
- Named Debut Artist of the Year in 1998 by National Public Radio’s Performance Today
- Was featured in Reader's Digest in June 1998
- Has been profiled on CBS Sunday Morning
Discography
title | label | date | catalog number | notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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1. | Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist | Harmonia Mundi | June 1997 | HMU 907218 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2. | Chopin Selected Works | Harmonia Mundi | October 1998 | HMU 907244 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3. | Lukas Foss, Piano Concertos, Elegy for Anne Frank | Harmonia Mundi | April 2001 | HMU 907243 (CD) | out of print | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4. | Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Jon Nakamatsu, piano Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Christopher Seaman, conductor |
Harmonia Mundi | September 2001 | HMU 907286 (CD) HMU 807286 (hybrid SACD/CD) |
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5. | Wölfl, 4 Piano Sonatas, Piano Sonatos Op. 25 & 33 | Harmonia Mundi | November 2003 | HMU 907324 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
6. | Brahms, Piano Sonata, No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 | Harmonia Mundi | October 2004 | HMU 907339 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7. | Franz Liszt, The Dante Sonata & other works | Harmonia Mundi | 14 November 2006 | HMU 907409 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
8. | George Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture Jon Nakamatsu, piano Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Jeff Tyzik, conductor |
Harmonia Mundi | 8 May 2007 | HMU 807441 (hybrid SACD/CD) |
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9. | Johannes Brahms: Sonatas Op. 120 Number 1 in F minor and Number 2 in E-flat major for clarinet and piano with Jon Manasse, clarinet | Harmonia Mundi | 8 January 2008 | HMU907430 (CD) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10. | Robert Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9; Papillons, Op. 2; Piano Sonata No. 2 in G minor, Op. 22 | Harmonia Mundi | 4 March 2014 | HMU907503 (CD) |
Nakamatsu is featured in the documentary movie "Playing with Fire": The Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, which aired on PBS television and is available on DVD.
Awards
award | competition | location | date |
---|---|---|---|
Gold Medalist ($20,000) | Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition | Fort Worth, Texas | June 1997 (quadrennial) |
First Prize | Fifth U.S. National Chopin Piano Competition | Miami, Florida | 1995 |
References
- ^ Ohlone College Foundation Event Archive Archived 2008-07-19 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Patrick, Ruth (June 23, 2000). "Pianist Jon Nakamatsu: From Mountain View to Carnegie Hall". Mountain View Voice. Retrieved 2018-04-19.
- ^ Stanford Graduate School of Education > News Bureau
- ^ Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival website
- ^ Huliq News: Nakamatsu Debuts Vancouver Symphony
- ^ Billboard.com - Charts - Albums - Top Classical Albums