Awards
Arnaldo Cohen graduated from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro with honors degrees in both piano and violin, while also studying for an engineering degree. He joined the Indiana University (IU) faculty in 2004 as a professor of piano at the Jacobs School of Music.
Prior to joining the IU faculty, he was a professional violinist in the Rio de Janeiro Opera House Orchestra while studying piano with Jacques Klein, a disciple of the legendary American pianist, William Kapell. Cohen won several piano competitions, including first prize in the 1970 Beethoven International Competition and first prize at the 1972 Busoni International Competition. He also held a professorship at the Royal Academy of Music in London. From his base in London, Mr. Cohen performed worldwide with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, collaborating with conductors such as Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Masur, and Yehudi Menuhin - who described Cohen as "one of the greatest pianists I have ever heard”.
Cohen has played over 1,500 recitals around the world and is a frequent recording artist, having released albums on the BIS, Naxos, and Vox labels. He has performed with many renowned ensembles and was a member of the Amadeus Piano Trio, with former members of the legendary Amadeus Quartet. Cohen was admitted as a fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music (Honoris Causa) in 2000 and was the recipient of the prestigious Broadwood Fellowship. He was also the recipient of the Rio Branco Medal in 2000, awarded by the President of Brazil in honor of Cohen’s contributions to the cultural development of his country. He also writes regularly about classical music for the Brazilian press. Cohen previously served as artistic director of Portland Piano International, for which he established numerous new opportunities for young artists and educational programs for the community. A world-renowned pianist, he has been selected to serve on the juries for many of the top international competitions including the Van Cliburn, Cleveland, Busoni, and Warsaw Chopin piano competitions.