Shai Wosner has gained international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. With a repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Ligeti and composers of his own generation, he has been hailed by the Financial Times as "an artist to follow keenly". In the 2009-2010 season Mr. Wosner made his subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducted the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from the keyboard  in a performance broadcast on American Public Radio. He returned to the BBC Scottish Symphony in both subscription concerts and a performance at the Proms, and appeared with the BBC Philharmonic in a live broadcast from Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. Other recent highlights include his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra; his return to the Atlanta and Houston symphonies and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; and solo recitals at London's Wigmore Hall, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and The 92nd Street Y in New York. His 2010-2011 season  includes subscription concerts with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the release of a solo recording of works by Brahms and Schoenberg on the Onyx label. Wosner is the recipient of both an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, and a former BBC New Generation Artist. He has worked with conductors including Daniel Barenboim, Leonard Slatkin, Donald Runnicles, Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta and Hans Graf, and collaborated with such esteemed artists as Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin and Christian Tetzlaff. Mr. Wosner lives in New York City ... read full bio

Shai Wosner has gained international recognition for his exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight. With a repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Ligeti and composers of his own generation, he has been hailed by the New York Times as “a superb pianist” and by the Financial Times as "an artist to follow keenly".

In the 2009-2010 season Mr. Wosner made his highly acclaimed subscription debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and conducted the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra from the keyboard in a performance broadcast on American Public Radio. He returned to the BBC Scottish Symphony with a performance at the Proms and in subscription concerts under Donald Runnicles, and to the BBC Philharmonic in a live broadcast from Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall. He has also performed in solo recitals throughout the US as well in duo recitals with Viviane Hagner (at the Kennedy Center), Christian Poltéra (at Wigmore Hall in London), and Jennifer Koh. Other recent highlights include his debut with the Cleveland Orchestra; his return to the Atlanta and Houston symphonies and the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia; appearances with the North Carolina and Charlotte symphonies and the Sacramento Philharmonic; and solo recitals at London's Wigmore Hall, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, and The 92nd Street Y in New York. 

His 2010-2011 season includes subscription concerts with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra, and the release of a solo recording of works by Brahms and Schoenberg on the Onyx label.  Wosner will also appear in solo recitals broadcast live on Radio 3 from the Wigmore Hall and Cardiff’s Hoddinott Hall as well as at the Piano Aux Jacobins festival in France. His duo recitals include appearances with Martin Fröst, Dietrich Henschel, and Jennifer Koh. Other recent and upcoming engagements include a UK tour with members of the Britten Sinfonia, and appearances at the Hay-on-Wye Festival, the Stavanger Chamber Music Festival, the Cheltenham Festival, and the City of London Festival.

Wosner is the recipient of both an Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, the latter of which led to the commission of Michael Hersch's "Along the Ravines". As a recent BBC New Generation Artist, he played frequently with the BBC orchestras, including appearances conducting Mozart from the keyboard with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. His performances in recital, chamber works, and orchestral repertoire continue to be broadcast live on Radio 3.

In recent seasons, Wosner has appeared with numerous major orchestras in North America and Europe, including re-engagements with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, as well as performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Baltimore, San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, Milwaukee, Columbus and Memphis. He has also appeared with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, the Fresno Philharmonic, the Staatskapelle Berlin, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Gothenburg Symphony, the Barcelona Symphony, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Orchestre National de Belgique, and the Nieuw Sinfonietta Amsterdam, among others. He has worked with conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Hans Graf, Alan Gilbert, Peter Oundjian, James Conlon, Gunther Herbig, James Judd, Yan Pascal Tortelier, and Jirí Belohlávek.

Wosner is widely sought after by his colleagues for his versatility and spirit of partnership. As a chamber musician, he has collaborated with numerous esteemed artists including Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Cho-Liang Lin, and Christian Tetzlaff. He is a former member of Lincoln's Center's Chamber Music Society Two and  performs regularly at various chamber music festivals, including Chamber Music Northwest in Portland and La Jolla's SummerFest. Other summer festival appearances in the US include the Ravinia Festival, Hollywood Bowl, Mostly Mozart, Grand Teton Music Festival, and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Recent chamber music engagements include a concert with members of The New York Philharmonic at Avery Fisher Hall; a performance of the Mozart concerto for three pianos with Joseph Kalichstein, Alon Goldstein, and the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall; and collaborations with the Tokyo, Miro and Parker string quartets, and the Georgian Chamber Players at Spivey Hall.  For several consecutive summers, Wosner was also involved in the West-Eastern Divan Workshop led by Daniel Barenboim and toured as soloist with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.

Born in Israel, Mr. Wosner studied piano with Emanuel Krasovsky, and composition, theory and improvisation with André Hajdu. He later studied at The Juilliard School with Emanuel Ax. Shai lives in New York City with his wife and daughter.

Last updated June 2010. Contact Opus 3 Artists for the most up-to-date version.

Video clip courtesy of BBC, New Generation Artists