David Greilsammer is a classical pianist and conductor born in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1977. He is known for concert programmes that combine unusual repertoire choices and large-scale recital concepts, often linking music from different periods in the same performance.

Career

Greilsammer makes his New York debut in 2004 at Lincoln Center under James Conlon, where he gives the American premiere of Erwin Schulhoff’s Piano Concerto. The performance receives praise from The New York Times. He later becomes regularly invited to major concert halls around the world as both a pianist and conductor.

In July 2008, he performs the complete Mozart piano sonatas in a one-day marathon in Paris. Soon afterwards, he performs Mozart’s eighteen sonatas again in a six-concert series at the Verbier Festival. In the 2008–2009 season, he presents a recital programme that pairs John Cage’s Sonatas for prepared piano with Scarlatti sonatas, and he also tours a programme built around the idea of fantasy and works by eight composers.

Recordings

Greilsammer’s debut recording is a 2006 release of Mozart’s early piano concertos, performed and conducted from the keyboard for Vanguard Classics. It is named by the Daily Telegraph as one of its Records of the Year and described by Le Monde as one of the major surprises of the Mozart year.

He then signs exclusively to Naïve Records and releases the solo album fantaisie_fantasme, which is selected by The Sunday Times as one of its Records of the Year and receives recording prizes from Le Monde de la Musique and Pianiste.

Performances and collaborations

His recitals and engagements include appearances in London, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Madrid, Lisbon, Tel Aviv, Yokohama, Saitama, Mexico City, Paris, Toulouse, Montpellier, Venice and Bologna. He also performs at the Minatomirai Hall, Verdi Opera House in Trieste, Rouen Opera House and the Julita Festival in Sweden.

As a pianist and conductor, he works with the Orquestra Metropolitana in Portugal, Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Kanagawa Philharmonic, Orchestre National d’Île de France, Jerusalem Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Haifa Symphony, Princeton Symphony, Minsk Symphony, NWD Philharmonie, Cuba National Symphony and Taipei Philharmonic.

Education and awards

Greilsammer begins piano study at the Rubin Conservatory in Jerusalem, continues in Florence and Paris, then returns to Israel to study with Yahli Wagman and Shoshana Cohen. After his military service in Israel, he enters The Juilliard School in New York, studying piano with Yoheved Kaplinsky and later working with Richard Goode. He studies both piano and conducting at Juilliard.

He receives the Tabor Foundation grant and the Sagem Foundation award, and wins the Young Musician of the Year title at the 2008 French Music Awards. He also performs live on television to an audience of two million viewers.