Jon Nakamatsu

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Jon Nakamatsu at the Peninsula Symphony concert, San Mateo, California on October 21, 2005

Jon Yasuhiro Nakamatsu is a Japanese-American pianist. Nakamatsu was born in California and as of 2006, he is 38 years old. Jon currently resides in San Jose, California but mostly performs away from home. He is the son of David Y. Nakamatsu (San Jose engineer) and Karen F. Maeda Nakamatsu (city employee).

In June 1997 Nakamatsu won the Gold Medal playing from Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth, Texas. He was the first American to win it since 1981. Since the competition, he quit his job as a high school German teacher and has become an internationally renowned pianist. Interestingly, he did not attend a music conservatory or major in music while he attended college. During the summer of 2005, Nakamatsu toured with the San Jose Youth Symphony in Spain, performing the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 2.

He is represented by Parker Artists, New York.

1 Education
2 Career
3 Discography
4 Awards
5 External links

[edit] Education

Studied piano privately with Marina Derryberry since age 6 (1974).
Graduated from Prospect High School, San Jose, 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 University, California, 1992

[edit] Career

2006-current: Co-Artistic Director of Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival (with Jon Manasse)
1997–current: Full-time pianist
1991–1997: German language teacher at Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California and part-time pianist.

[edit] Discography

compact discs
	title	label	date	catalog number	notes
1.	Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, Jon Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist	Harmonia Mundi	June 1997	HMU 907218
2.	Chopin Selected Works	Harmonia Mundi	October 1998	HMU 907244
3.	Lukas Foss, Piano Concertos, Elegy for Anne Frank	Harmonia Mundi	April 2001	HMU 907243	out of print
4.	Rachmaninov, Piano Concerto No. 3, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini	Harmonia Mundi	September 2001	HMU 907286 (CD) HMU 807286 (hybrid SACD/CD)
5.	Wölfl, 4 Piano Sonatas, Piano Sonatos Op. 25 & 33	Harmonia Mundi	November 2003	HMU 907324
6.	Brahms, Piano Sonata, No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5	Harmonia Mundi	October 2004	HMU 907339
7.	A Good Degree of Gershwin	Harmonia Mundi	to be released
8.	solo album of Liszt		to be released
9.	Brahms Clarinet Sonatas with clarinetist Jon Manasse		to be released

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.

[edit] 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