Critics Pick

Jon Nakamatsu

Mill Valley Chamber Music Society

Van Cliburn Gold Medal Winner Jon Nakamatsu to perform for Mill Valley Chamber Music Society
Nakamatsu concert set for 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

PRODUCER: Mill Valley Chamber Music Society

WHO: Jon Nakamatsu

WHAT: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society continues its 34th season presenting pianist Jon Nakamatsu, the 1997 Van Cliburn Gold Medal Winner.

The program will feature Schubert: Impromptus, op.90; Schumann: Papillons, op. 2; Beethoven "Moonlight" Sonata, op. 27 #2; and Schumann Carnival, op. 9.

At the 10th Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997 Jon Nakamatsu, a 29-year-old pianist from San Jose, "came out of nowhere" to win the coveted Gold Medal Finalist honor over other favored pianists. Nakamatsu was the first American in 16 years selected as a Gold Medal Finalist. Nakamatsu did not attend a music conservatory or major in music while he attended college and graduate school. He studied piano from the age of six privately with Marina Derryberry.

"It was an amazing feeling. Something beyond your dreams could occur. And it doesn't only occur for you it occurs for everybody whose played a part in your life," said San Jose native, Jon Nakamatsu in the 2012 PBS documentary "The Cliburn 50 Years of Gold."

After the competition, Nakamatsu quit his job as a Mountain View high school German teacher and pursued a career as a classical pianist. Since his Van Cliburn Gold Medal triumph, Nakamatsu's brilliant but unassuming musicianship and eclectic repertoire have made him a clear favorite throughout the world both on the concert circuit and in the recording studio. In 1998 he was named "Debut Artist of the Year" by National Public Radio’s "Performance Today."

He has performed widely in North America, Europe, and the Far East and has collaborated with such conductors as James Conlon, Philippe Entremont, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Michael Tilson Thomas and Osmo Vaenskae. His extensive recital tours throughout the United States and Europe have featured appearances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York City, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and in metropolitan cities including Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Paris, London and Milan.

In 1999, Mr. Nakamatsu was invited to the White House to perform for President and Mrs. Clinton. In 2010, he performed in recital for the Chopin Institute in Warsaw at Warsaw's Philharmonic Hall and traveled to China for a debut at the Beijing International Piano Festival. More recently he performed with jazz pianist David Benoit in a special program mixing Gershwin with jazz and classical repertoire at the prestigious Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga.

Among the numerous chamber ensembles with which Mr. Nakamatsu has collaborated are the Brentano, Tokyo, Prazak, St. Lawrence and Ying String Quartets. He also tours frequently with the Berlin Philharmonic Winds and performs with acclaimed clarinetist Jon Manasse as part of the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo. The Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo performed to tremendous acclaimed during the Mill Valley Chamber Music Society's 2010-11 season.

WHEN: 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

LOCATION: Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church
410 Sycamore Avenue, Mill Valley, CA 94941

COST: $15 to $30 per person.
$15 Youth - 18 years and under. $30 General.
Tickets sold at the door when space available. Reservations recommended.

TICKETS: Order through Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006 or purchase at the door.
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/293913

PHONE: 415-381-4453

WEBSITE: http://www.chambermusicmillvalley.org

Jon Nakamatsu website: http://www.jonnakamatsu.com/