Menahem Pressler
Menahem Pressler, founding member and pianist of the Beaux Arts Trio,
has established himself among the world’s most distinguished and
honored musicians, with a career that spans nearly five decades. Both
an outstanding chamber and solo performer, Pressler’s talents have
brought him to all of the world’s major music capitals. His musical
precision and overwhelming knowledge of piano and chamber music literature
have also gained him an international reputation as a remarkable teacher.
Menahem Pressler’s world-renowned career was launched after he
was awarded first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition
in San Francisco. This was followed by his successful American debut
with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Eugene Ormandy.
Since then, Pressler’s extensive tours of North America and Europe
have included performances with the orchestras of New York, Chicago,
Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels,
Oslo, Helsinki and many others.
The 1955 Berkshire Music Festival saw Menahem Pressler’s debut
as a chamber musician where he appeared as pianist with the Beaux Arts
Trio. This collaboration quickly established Presser’s reputation
as one of the world’s most revered chamber musicians. His other
chamber music collaborations have included multiple performances with
the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland Quarters as well as the
Israel Quartet and the Pasquier String Trio. In 1955, Pressler began
his association with the music school at Indiana University where today,
in honor of his outstanding teaching abilities, he holds the rank of
Distinguished Professor of Music.
In addition to over fifty recordings with the Beaux Arts Trio, Menahem
Pressler has compiled over thirty solo recordings, ranging from the
works of Bach to Ben Haim.
Born in Magdeburg, Germany, Menahem Pressler received most of his musical
training in Israel. His life has always been completely devoted to his
music. When not on tour with the Beaux Arts Trio, giving solo performances,
or teaching master classes, Pressler can be found in his studio at Indiana
University in Bloomington, where he holds the rank of Distinguished
Professor. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from both the University
of Nebraska and Kansas. In 1994, Mr. Pressler was honored with Chamber
Music America’s Distinguished Service Award and in 1998 he received
the prestigious Gramaphone Lifetime Achievement Award. Menahem Pressler
was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October
2000. Mr. Pressler resides in Bloomington, Indiana with his wife Sarah.
