bio
Pianist JACOB GREENBERG’s work as a soloist and chamber musician shows a deep engagement with music old and new. Mr. Greenberg’s recent concerto appearances include Messiaen’s Sept Haïkaï at Oberlin College and Bartók's Concerto #1 at Northwestern University, and his solo recitals in the current season center on works of Ives, Busoni, and Schoenberg. He has worked with composers as diverse as George Crumb, Gyorgy Kurtag, Harrison Birtwistle, and Tan Dun, and he frequently plays his own works in recital.
Mr. Greenberg has been a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) since 2002. Through his work as the group's Director of Education, he introduces young people to new music in the city schools of New York and Chicago. Other ensemble performances include Symphony Center’s MusicNOW series (with members of the Chicago Symphony), the Fulcrum Point New Music Project, and Contempo at the University of Chicago. As an orchestral player, he has also appeared with the Israel Philharmonic and the New World Symphony.
Mr. Greenberg is a graduate of Oberlin College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in music and religion, and he completed his master's and doctoral degrees at Northwestern University, where he studied with Ursula Oppens. From 2003-2007, Mr. Greenberg was an assistant professor of music at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Mr. Greenberg collaborated with soprano Tony Arnold in her first-prize appearance at the International Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He received the special award for Outstanding Accompanist at the Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition, again in collaboration with Ms. Arnold. Their recording of Elliott Carter’s Of Challenge and of Love was released in 2003 to great acclaim on Bridge Records. Mr. Greenberg's other releases on Bridge include solo and chamber music of George Crumb with ICE (Bridge 9261). A solo disc featuring works of Kurtag, Schoenberg, Mozart, and Schumann will be released in February 2010 on New Focus Recordings. Live performances have been heard on WQXR New York, WFMT Chicago and Radio Netherlands, and other upcoming discs will appear on the Centaur and Tzadik labels.
In 2008, Mr. Greenberg was a guest artist at the International Summer Courses in Darmstadt, Germany, performing works of Gyorgy Kurtag. Highlights of the 2009-2010 season include a recital tour with flutist Claire Chase and appearances at Columbia University's Miller Theatre and Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art with ICE. Mr. Greenberg curates and performs in the solo piano series Music at Close Range in Brooklyn, NY.
