Jean-frédéric Neuburger

The French pianist, organist and composer, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger (pronounced Nu-bour-jhay), showed an exceptional musical aptitude and curiosity very early. He began studying piano with Claude Maillols at the Académie Maurice Ravel at the age of nine, and also developed an interest in the organ and composition, which he studied with Emile Naoumoff and Jean-François Zygel. He entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris in 2000, where he received highest honors in piano, accompaniment, and chamber music in the classes of Jean-François Heisser, Jean Koerner, Itamar Golan, Christian Ivaldi and Marie-Françoise Bucquet. Devoted to perfecting his art, he currently studies with Reiko Hozu and Vladimir Krainev.

Since being recognized by the Académie Maurice Ravel at the age of 15, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger has been the laureate of numerous international competitions, including First Prize at the 2002 Ettlingen International Competition for Young Pianists; Second Prize and the Beethoven Prize at the 2004 International José Iturbi Competition in Valencia, Spain; Third Grand Prix, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France Prize, the Audience Favorite Prize and the Sacem Prize at the 2004 Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris; and Second Prize at the 2005 London International Piano Competition. He won the 2006 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, where he was also awarded the John Browning Memorial Prize and the Rhoda Walker Teagle Prize, which in December 2006 sponsored his New York debut at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall and his debut recital in Washington, DC at the Kennedy Center, both of which were enthusiastically received. He had previously won First Prize in the 2005 Young Concert Artists European Auditions in Paris.

Even more than these outstanding achievements, it is for his personality and extraordinary musical maturity that Jean-Frédéric Neuburger is much sought-after as recitalist, having already performed at such prestigious events as the Festivals of Auvers sur Oise, Radio-France-Montpellier, La Roque d’Anthéron Piano Festival, Menton, l’Orangerie de Sceaux, Chopin á Bagatelle Festival, les Folles journées de Nantes, Lisbonne and Tokyo. He has also given recitals at the Auditorium du Louvre, Auditorium du Musée d’Orsay, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, the Chopin Festival at Duznicki and the Chopin-Gesellschaft at Darmstadt. He is dedicated to discovering new repertoire - whether for solo piano or chamber music - from J.S. Bach to contemporary composers.

As soloist, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger has appeared with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Danish National Orchestra, Orchestre National de Montpellier, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. In 2006, he made two important debuts: the first in Shanghai with the Shanghai Philharmonic, playing Shostakovitch’s Concerto No. 2 and the second, his Tokyo concerto debut with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Lorin Maazel, playing Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3. In May 2007, he appeared with Yoel Levi and the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France in Franz Liszt's Concerto No. 1 for the re-opening season of Paris prestigious Salle Pleyel before returning to America for summer festivals. During the summer of 2007, he performed Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G Major with the Orchestre National de Lyon on tour in Japan, and during the 2007-2008 season appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège. He has also made solo appearances with the Baden-Baden Philharmonic, Danish National Orchestra and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, as well as recitals at Suntory Hall in Tokyo (November 2007), the Louvre in Paris, Chopin festivals in Poland and Germany, and at other prestigious festivals in Europe.

In 2008-2009 season Jean-Frédéric Neuburger makes his New York concerto debut in YCA’s Gala Irene Diamond Concert, performing with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and conductor Giancarlo Guerrero at Lincoln Center. Also during the 2008-2009 season, he appears at Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Merkin Hall in New York City, Brownville Concert Series (NE), Harvard Musical Association (MA), Fox Hill Village (MA), the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, and Port Washington Library (NY). His concerts abroad this season include recitals in France and Japan as well as concerto appearances in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 and J.S. Bach’s Concerto in G Minor with the Bamberger Symphoniker, Messiaen’s Des Canyons aux étoiles with the Orchestre de Poitou-Charentes, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 9 with the Osaka Philharmonic, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Orchestre National d’Île de France, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the NHK Symphony in Japan.

In 2003, at the age of 16, Jean-Frédéric Neuburger recorded the complete Chopin Etudes for the «Disc’Auvers» collection, a version that has already been compared to those by the great masters, and which immediately placed him among the foremost pianists of today. A double CD with one disc dedicated to Chopin and the other featuring a live recital was released in March 2006, and his recording of the complete Carl Czerny “The Art of Finger Dexterity” was released on the Mirare record label. He recently released a CD of music by C. Czerny and F. Liszt on the Mirare label.

The Washington Post described French pianist Jean-Frédéric Neuburger as a “brilliantly polished, profoundly gifted young pianist” following his debut recital at age 20 in the Young Concert Artists Series at the Kennedy Center.