Piano Masterclass with Geoffrey Burleson

Piano Masterclass with Geoffrey Burleson

Saturday, March 29

1:15pm - 2:30pm

Third Street Music School

Great for piano enthusiasts, aspiring musicians, and anyone wanting to explore learning deeper.

Free and open to the public. RSVP required.

About Geoffrey Burleson

GEOFFREY BURLESON has performed to wide acclaim throughout Europe and North America, and is equally active as a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and jazz performer. The New York Times has hailed his solo performances as “vibrant” and “compelling”, and has praised his “command, projection of rhapsodic qualities without loss of rhythmic vigor, and appropriate sense of spontaneity and fetching colors”. And the Boston Globe refers to Mr. Burleson as a “remarkable pianist” and “a first-class instrumental presence” whose performances are “outright thrilling.” His numerous acclaimed solo appearances include prominent venues in Paris (at the Église St-Merri), New York, Rome (American Academy), Helsinki (Sibelius Academy), Athens (Mitropoulos Hall), Mexico City (National Museum of Art), Rotterdam (De Doelen), Chicago (Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series), Boston, Washington, Switzerland, England, Spain, and elsewhere. He has also appeared as soloist in many international festivals, including the Mostly Modern Festival, Bard Music Festival, Monadnock Music Festival, Other Minds Festival, Mänttä Music Festival (Finland), Santander Festival (Spain), the Talloires International Festival(France), the International Keyboard Institute & Festival (New York), and the Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy).

Mr. Burleson made his New York City solo recital debut at Merkin Hall in 2000, sponsored by the League of Composers/ISCM. Concerto appearances include the Buffalo Philharmonic, New England Philharmonic, Boston Musica Viva, Pioneer Valley Symphony, Arlington Philharmonic, and the Holland Symfonia in the Netherlands, with repertoire ranging from Mozart, Weber and Saint-Saëns to Gershwin, Yehudi Wyner, David Rakowski and Klaas de Vries. Mr. Burleson is a core member of the American Modern Ensemble, Boston Musica Viva, Tribeca New Music, ECCE, the David Sanford Big Band, Ensemble Ipse, Princeton University's Richardson Chamber Players, and IMPetus, a dynamic avant-cabaret trio featuring vocalist Maria Tegzes and guitarist Dave "Knife" Fabris. Notable touring projects include Akoka: Messiaen Remix, a CD and program featuring Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, and including new works commenting on it by David Krakauer and DJ Socalled, with David Krakauer, clarinet; Matt Haimovitz, cello; and Todd Reynolds, violin. Via the AKOKA CD, Burleson was nominated for a 2015 Juno Award for Classical Album Of The Year. As a jazz pianist, Mr. Burleson has performed extensively at home and abroad, both as soloist and in many ensembles. The Boston Globe has lauded his jazz performances, praising his “solos filled with complex harmonic and rhythmic figures”, as well as his “compact and dramatic” arrangements of works by such diverse artists as Eric Dolphy and Patti Smith. A laureate of the International Piano Recording Competition (Silver Medal), and the Vienna Modern Masters International Performers’ Competition, Mr. Burleson was also the recipient of a DAAD Grant from the German government to support a residency at the Academy of Arts in Berlin. A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, and Stony Brook University (D.M.A.), his principal teachers include Gilbert Kalish, Leonard Shure, Veronica Jochum, Lillian Freundlich, and Tinka Knopf.

Currently, Mr. Burleson is recording the complete piano works of Camille Saint-Saëns, being released on 7 CD volumes on the Naxos Grand Piano label. The first 5 volumes have been released, beginning with Saint-Saëns: Piano Works 1: Complete Piano Études, in 2012, and most recently, in September 2019, Saint-Saëns Complete Piano Works 5: Rarities and Transcriptions, which includes several unpublished works Mr. Burleson found in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. The series has received high international acclaim from Gramophone, International Record Review, Diapason(France) and elsewhere, and has garnered International Piano Choice Awards from International Piano Magazine. Mr. Burleson is also the editor for Saint-Saëns: Solo Piano Rarities, published by Carl Fischer, a volume containing all of the never-before published works by Saint-Saëns that Mr. Burleson has recorded. Other solo releases include Roy Harris-Complete Piano Music (Naxos), and Vincent Persichetti: Complete Piano Sonatas (New World Records), a 2-CD set on which all twelve of Persichetti’s piano sonatas are united on one release for the first time. The Persichetti recording was accorded high acclaim from the BBC Music Magazine (“BBC Music Choice”; 5/5 stars), a laudatory feature review in Gramophone, and was listed among the best recordings released in 2008 by Fanfare and the American Record Guide. His extensive chamber music discography includes Odd Couple (Oxingale Records), a duo CD of American works with cellist Matt Haimovitz, featuring the Barber and Carter Sonatas, as well as newer works by David Sanford and Augusta Read Thomas.

Mr. Burleson teaches piano at Princeton University, and is Professor of Music and Director of Piano Studies at Hunter College-City University of New York. He is also on the piano faculties of The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, the Mostly Modern Festival, and the Interharmony International Music Festival (Italy).

About Master Classes

A master class is a special opportunity for students and guests to watch and learn from a guest teacher and expert in their area. Guests work with students as a group or one at a time in front of an audience. The guest can engage with students and audiences in a variety of ways, often providing feedback on how to improve their technique, expression, and interpretation.

Guests may also share stories about their experiences such as their career, learning a piece, working with a composer, demonstrating how to play certain passages, and point out common issues and ways to improve.

All spectators and students can benefit from observing a master class and learning master's teaching and listening to the different versions of the piece.

Master Classes are always free and open to the public to observe.

Questions About the Master Class or Workshop?

Contact: Third Street Music School

email: [email protected]

Tickets & Attendance

RSVPs are first come, first served.

RSVPs are required of all attendees, including children. An adult must accompany all children.

An RSVP does not guarantee a seat. Free events are oversold to accommodate drops.

Same-day walkups will be accepted, Remaining seats will be released before the start of the show as space permits.

Venue Policies

This venue is accessible to wheelchairs

Large items including strollers and carts are not permitted in the hall but can be left in the lobby at the owner's discretion. Third Street does not assume liability for any theft or damages.

No food or drinks are permitted in the Anna-Maria Kellen Concert Hall

No pets allowed, service animals only

Host or Publisher Third Street Music School