Gary Graffman

Gary Graffman commands a legendary position among living pianists. After his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age nineteen, he toured internationally for over three decades and recorded major concertos with the orchestras of Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, and Philadelphia under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, and George Szell. In 1979, however, an injury to his right hand limited his performing to the few but rewarding works written for left hand alone. In addition to performing existing music, Gary Graffman has performed six concertos and one chamber work that were written for him. He served as Director and President of the Curtis Institute of Music (which he first entered as a student at the age of seven) from 1986 to 2006, and remains a member of the institute’s piano faculty. Gary Graffman has been honored by the City of Philadelphia on its Walk of Fame and by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with the Governor’s Arts Award. He is also a recipient of New York City’s Handel Medallion.