Full Biography
The Philadelphia Inquirer has praised pianist Michael Mizrahi’s “sumptuous textures” and “intrepid” performances “revealing a forward-moving logic and chord voices you didn’t previously realize were there.” Noted for his compelling performances of a wide range of repertoire and his ability to connect with audiences of all ages, Mr. Mizrahi has appeared as concerto soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and music educator across the U.S. and in Europe. He has performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra, Sioux City Symphony, Prince Georges Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra (now Symphony in C), and in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, the Kennedy Center, Boston’s Jordan Hall and Houston’s Jones Hall. He has appeared in recital on Chicago’s Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, Houston’s Channing Recital Series, Astral Artists’ Philadelphia concert series, and at Washington, D.C’s Phillips Collection, and has performed chamber music in Carnegie Hall, Boston’s Gardner Museum, and at many summer festivals, including Music@Menlo, the Ravinia Festival, and the Yellow Barn Music Festival.
An enthusiastic promoter of musical education, Michael Mizrahi has presented lecture-recitals and masterclasses at The American School in Switzerland (TASIS), the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He was also a recent fellow of The Academy: A Program of Carnegie Hall, the Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute (ACJW). Under the auspices of this ground-breaking two-year fellowship, he taught music at a New York City public school and performed to great critical acclaim at Carnegie Hall and throughout New York City as a member of Ensemble ACJW.
Also an avid proponent of contemporary music, Mr. Mizrahi is a founding member of NOW Ensemble, a chamber group devoted to the commissioning and performing of new music by emerging composers. With recent performances on both coasts and a series of residencies at Yale, Princeton, and the University of Virginia, NOW Ensemble is quickly establishing itself as a major new force in the contemporary music scene. The Ensemble released its debut CD, NOW, in 2008 and records its second CD in the summer of 2010. Mr. Mizrahi is also a founding member of the Moët Trio, which has been consistently recognized as one of the outstanding piano trios performing today. The Moët Trio recently completed a residency at the New England Conservatory.
Michael Mizrahi captured both First Prize and the Audience Choice Award in the Ima Hogg Competition, as well as first prizes in the Berkeley Piano Club Competition, the International Bartok-Kabalevsky Competition, and the Iowa International Piano Competition. After winning the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young Soloists Competition, The Washington Post wrote that he has “the kind of control needed to project strength without sounding aggressive.” He also won Third Prize in the San Antonio International Piano Competition, and is a winner of Astral Artists’ 2005 National Auditions.
Highlights of the 2010-2011 season include a series of performances at Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, a debut recital at the Kravis Center in South Florida, and a tour of the southern United States with NOW Ensemble. He will also record a CD of 21st-century works for piano, to be released on the New Amsterdam label.
Michael Mizrahi holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Yale School of Music, where he studied with Claude Frank. He was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Piano at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Updated: JULY 2010
