Awards

MacArthur Fellow - 2013

About Jeremy Denk

Jeremy Denk received a B.A. (1990) from Oberlin College, an M.Mus. (1993) from Indiana University, and a D.Mus. (2001) from the Juilliard School. A concert pianist, he has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among many others. As a soloist and in concerti and chamber ensembles, Denk masterfully performs some of the most technically demanding works of iconic masters—Bach, Beethoven, Chopin—as well as compositions of storied twentieth-century artists—Ives and Ligeti—with virtuosic dexterity and imagination. Noted for his unexpected pairings of pieces in recital programs and recordings, he often draws out surprising themes and continuities between historically and stylistically disparate works.

In addition to his performance career, Denk is a talented expositor. In the liner notes on his recordings, his blog, Think Denk—a spirited “life log” of technical analysis, informative repartee, and witty memoir—and articles in publications such as the New Yorker and the New Republic, he couples analytical thinking about the sound and structure of a piece with lyrical descriptions of the affect produced as one plays or listens to it.

His recordings include Ligeti/Beethoven (2011) and J. S. Bach: Goldberg Variations (2013). He is currently on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and Mannes College, The New School for Music. Denk's live and recorded duets with violinist Joshua Bell, a longstanding tradition, are critically acclaimed and lauded for their extraordinary balance and original interpretation.