Hailed by The Washington Post as an artist of “formidable virtuosity and stylistic sensitivity,” Israeli pianist Tomer Gewirtzman has impressed audiences around the world. He has performed in recitals in London in Steinway Hall, and in Paris in the Salle Cortot of the École Normale. Mr. Gewirtzman played with Nikolai Petrov’s Kremlin Festival in cities throughout Russia, and has appeared as soloist with orchestras throughout Israel, including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Symphony Orchestra, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, the Israeli Chamber Orchestra, the New Haifa Symphony Orchestra, and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Symphony Orchestra.
This season’s highlights include debut recitals at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Paradise Valley United Methodist Church, Morning Musicales, at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. Mr. Gewirtzman will perform the Brahms Piano Concerto in d minor with the Bucks County Symphony, and the Medtner Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Mariinsky Orchestra in Saint Petersburg.
Last season, Mr. Gewirtzman made his New York recital debut on the Young Concert Artist Series and in Washington D.C. on the YCA and Washington Performing Arts Series. Other performances included recitals at Saint Vincent College, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, the Harvard Musical Association, the Harriman-Jewell Series, at Congregation Rodef Shalom, and at the Virginia Arts Festival. He also performed at Weill Hall for the American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic, and at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theatre in the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Gala honoring the memory of Vera Stern.
His busy career has also included concerto performances with Charlottesville Symphony, Symphony Silicon Valley, the Aspen Concert Orchestra, the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra, the North-West Florida Symphony Orchestra, and the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Gewirtzman has performed at festivals in the United States including Bravo! Vail, Yellowbarn, the Aspen Music Festival, PianoFest, PianoTexas, Summit Music Festival, and New York’s International Keyboard Institute Festival. He has also performed at festivals abroad, including the International Academy of Music in Italy, the Musica Mundi Chamber Music Festival in Belgium, Tel – Hai International Master Classes in Israel, and Germany’s Usedom Music Festival.
At the 2015 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, he was awarded First Prize as well as five performance prizes. Other accolades include First Prize at the 2014 Wideman International Piano Competition in Louisiana, the Piano Prize and Audience Prize at the 2013 America – Israel Cultural Foundation’s Aviv Competition, Third Prize at the inaugural Midwest Piano Competition in Iowa in 2014, First Prize and a special prize for a commissioned piece for the competition at the 2010 Clairmont Competition in Israel, First Prize at the 2010 Piano Forever competition in Ashdod, which gave him, in addition to the financial award, a full scholarship to attend master classes in the U.S. and an opportunity to perform as soloist with the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra. He has also won First Prizes at the Chopin Competition for Young Pianists in Tel-Aviv, the Rig’ey See Piano Competition in Ashdod, the Pnina Zaltzman Piano Competition for Young Pianists in Kfar-Sava, and the Tel-Hai International Piano Masterclasses Concerto Competition. After winning Second Prize at the International Russian Music Piano Competition in San Jose, he captured First Prize at the Aspen Music Festival Concerto Competition. He has received Top Prizes in other international competitions, such as the International Keyboard Institute Festival Piano Competition in New York, Arte Con Anima Piano Competition in Greece, and the International Baltic Piano Competition in Poland.
Mr. Gewirtzman started his musical education at the age of 8 with Ms. Raaya Shpol at the Rubin Conservatory in Haifa, and continued his piano studies with Prof. Vadim Monastirski from the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem. From 2008 to 2011, he served in the Israeli Defense Forces, in the “Outstanding Musician” program, where he combined regular military service with extensive music studies at the University. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the Buchmann-Mehta school of music in Tel-Aviv, in the studio of Arie Vardi. He earned his Master’s degree at the Juilliard School, working with Maestro Sergei Babayan, where he received the prestigious Kovner Fellowship award. He continues his studies at Juilliard in the Artist Diploma program.