Jon Nakamatsu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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, and during the summer of 2007 will tour with the Peninsula Youth Orchestra to Vienna, Prague and Budapest playing the same piece.
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[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
| 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. | 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 | |
| 6. | Brahms, Piano Sonata, No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5 | Harmonia Mundi | October 2004 | HMU 907339 | |
| 7. | Franz Liszt, The Dante Sonata & other works | Harmonia Mundi | 14 November 2006 | HMU 907409 | |
| 8. | George Gershwin: Piano Concerto in F, Rhapsody in Blue, Cuban Overture Jon Nakamatsu, piano Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Jeff Tyzik, conductor |
Harmonia Mundi | to be released May 2007 | HMU 907441 (CD) HMU 807441 (hybrid SACD/CD) |
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| 9. | Brahms Clarinet Sonatas with clarinetist Jon Manasse | Harmonia Mundi | to be released 2007 |
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 |
