Charlie Albright
Encyclopedia
Charlie Albright (born July 29, 1988) is an American
-born classical pianist. He is a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist, an official Steinway Artist, and is under management with Young Concert Artists, Inc.
The pianist graduated from Harvard College
as the first classical pianist in the 5-Year Harvard University
/New England Conservatory BA/MM Joint Program, and has been named the Harvard University Leverett House
Artist in Residence for 2011–2012 and one of the 15 Most Interesting Seniors of the Harvard College Class of 2011. The New York Times
praised Charlie's "Jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "Virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout." The Washington Post
declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation."
by a Korean mother and an American father. He began to play the piano at age three and a half.
Albright began playing by ear and from the age of four was featured on state and national television. He did not receive formal classical training until age seven when he began his studies with Nancy Adsit of Olympia, Washington
.
During his time with Adsit, Albright was selected five times as an Olympia Chapter representative to the Washington State Music Teachers Convention (WSMTA) and received a Beaux Arts Society scholarship. In 1998, he made his orchestral debut with the University of Puget Sound
Symphony. In 2000, he won prizes at the Central Washington University
Sonatina/Sonata Festival and won the Olympia Chapter Concerto Festival, which led to a guest artist appearance with the Capital Area Youth Symphony in 2001.
Continuing to develop his performance career, Albright performed as part of the "Wonder Kids" concert in the Elsinore Piano Series in Salem, Oregon in 2001 and performed in a concert with Dr. Tanya Stambuck of the University of Puget Sound
the following January. Other performances throughout Washington included solo debuts with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Philharmonic in 2002.
Albright's success continued as a prizewinner in the Northwest Chopin Festival on February 1, 2003 and first prize winner in the 2003 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition. Other concerts that year included appearances on the Steinway Young Artists Series in Seattle, Washington and a guest artist appearance with the Port Angeles Symphony in Port Angeles, Washington
.
, where he graduated in 2007. In 2005, he attended the Centralia College
as part of the Running Start
Program, where he graduated with his Associate of Science Degree with Highest Honors in 2007.
. Additionally, he won the Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition a second time, the Northwest Division MTNA Senior Piano Competition in Missoula, Montana, and the Olympia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition.
He was one of seven competitors in the 2005 National MTNA Senior Piano Competition.
Albright was the First Prize winner in the 2005 International Institute for Young Musicians
(IIYM) International Piano Competition in Lawrence, Kansas
.
Albright won the 2005 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the third time, in November.
.
In June, he was the first pianist ever to win both the Solo and Ensemble Divisions of the 2006 New York Biennial National Piano Competition in New York, New York.
In August, he won first prize and all other prizes in the 2006 Eastman Young Artists' International Piano Competition at the Eastman School of Music
in Rochester, New York
. Other prizes included the "Audience Prize," the "Best Performance in a Master Class" prize, and the "Best Performance of a 21st Century Work" prize. He was described as a "keyboard wizard" who "played like an angel...with a level of polish pianists twice his age would envy."
Albright won the 2006 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the fourth time, in November.
Albright gave a concert at the 5-year memorial of the 9/11/01 World Trade Center Attacks at New York's Trinity Church, a concert with the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble
, and other concerts in Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts.
in South Carolina against pianists through age 30.
He participated in the 2007 Paris Piano Institute in August 2007 where he studied with Bruce Brubaker.
Artist in Residence for 2011–2012 and continues a rigorous worldwide concert schedule of about thirty-four concerts per year (thirty-two during the school year) despite being a full-time student.
Competition as a freshman and performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, No. 1 with the group in February 2008.
During the summer, he competed in the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition
in Sydney, Australia, where he was a semi-finalist (top 12) and won the "Prize for the Best Performance of a 21st Century Work in Stage 1."
On December 1, the pianist performed for the first time with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
at the Harvard ceremony presenting the late Senator Ted Kennedy with an Honorary Doctorate degree. At the ceremony, guests included Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
, Senator John Kerry
, and then Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden
, who was quoted telling Albright "If I did my job as well as you do yours, I'd be President."
He performed twice more with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; once for the 60th Anniversary for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison
(March, 2009) and once during a residency of the Silk Road Project (October, 2009).
Albright was a semi-finalist (top 12) in the 2009 Top of the World International Piano Competition
in Tromso, Norway and won the "Elizabeth Leonskaya Special Award" at the 2009 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.
In October, Albright gave a concert and taught his first masterclass at Western Washington University
in Bellingham, WA as a guest artist for the Sanford Piano Series.
In November in New York City, Albright was one of four winners of the 2009 Young Concert Artists
International Auditions where he won the Paul A. Fish First Prize, the Ruth Laredo
Award, the Sander Buchman Prize, the Ronald A. Asherson Prize, and the Sander Buchman Prize, as well as four performance prizes. As a result, he is now signed with YCA for management.
Albright performed approximately twenty-eight times in the 2009-2010 Concert Season. Concert venues included those in Paris, Los Angeles, Boston, Michigan, and New York.
He gave six concerts as a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist at the 2010 Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Michigan, where he received a review describing his playing as "Poetry in motion...with flair as well as fireworks." "Maturity might be a given for a Gilmore Young Artist. But Albright's professional polish was evident, not simply in the way he played the piece, but in the manner he played with the orchestra, as opposed to against or merely alongside it." The review concluded that "This college kid...is going places in music," and that "In Royce Auditorium on Thursday, Albright was number one all the way."
In December 2009, the Centralia College purchased the "Charlie Albright Piano" as a result of the "Charlie Albright Piano Project." Albright gave the inaugural performance on the 9-foot Model D Steinway, purchased for Corbet Hall, on March 27, 2010.
debut with the Duke Ellington "New World A-Comin'" with conductor Alondra de la Parra
. He ended with an encore of Liszt's La Campanella to a standing ovation.
His German debut on August 20 at a castle outside of Hamburg was a huge success, with raving applause between movements, three sets of bows after the first half of the concert, and the "unusual" demand for three encores following the program.
Albright made his Seattle Symphony
debut with the Beethoven Piano Concerto, No. 3 with conductor Gerard Schwarz
on September 10, 2010.
Performances in Albright's 2010-2011 Concert Season also include concerts in Boston (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
and the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra
), New York (Merkin Concert Hall
), and Washington, D.C. (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
). He will also give masterclasses and have residencies throughout the country.
After Albright's debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 14, 2011, The Washington Post
wrote that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles...with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."
Albright was named the Harvard University Leverett House
Artist in Residence for 2011-2012. Previous Artists in Residence at Leverett have included the likes of cellist Yo-Yo Ma
(1979–1981). In December 2010, he was named one of the 15 Most Interesting Seniors of the Harvard College Class of 2011.
He made successful debuts with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra
at Boston's Jordan Hall
on May 14, 2011 and with the Boston Pops Orchestra
at Boston's Symphony Hall
on May 17–18, 2011.
In June, 2011, Albright was accepted to the roster of Steinway Artists.
Charlie was the first Artist-in-Residence of the 2011-2012 season of Performance Today
on American Public Media and National Public Radio, hosted by Fred Child
. As such, he gave a weeklong series of performances and interviews for the national radio program.
and the Silk Road Project
commemorating the 10-year remembrance of the 9/11 attacks (September, 2011); guest artist appearances with such orchestras as the Phoenix Symphony
(November, 2011) and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra
in the 2012 Gilmore Keyboard Festival (May, 2012); masterclasses at universities; and solo concerts.
The Washington Post
declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles...with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."
The New York Times
praised Charlie's "Jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "Virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout"
Rochester, New York
's Democrat and Chronicle
described Albright as a "keyboard wizard" who "played like an angel...with a level of polish pianists twice his age would envy."
The Arizona Republic
declared that "Pianist Charlie Albright steals Phoenix Symphony show" at his debut with the orchestra on November 3, 2011.
Robert Sherman
of New York's WQXR-FM
Radio refers to Albright as a "poet of the piano."
Vice President Joe Biden
was quoted as stating that "If I did my job as well as you (Charlie) do yours, I'd be President."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born classical pianist. He is a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist, an official Steinway Artist, and is under management with Young Concert Artists, Inc.
Young Concert Artists
Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world...
The pianist graduated from Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
as the first classical pianist in the 5-Year Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
/New England Conservatory BA/MM Joint Program, and has been named the Harvard University Leverett House
Leverett House
Leverett House is the largest of twelve residence houses for upperclass undergraduates at Harvard University...
Artist in Residence for 2011–2012 and one of the 15 Most Interesting Seniors of the Harvard College Class of 2011. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised Charlie's "Jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "Virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout." The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation."
Childhood
Albright was raised in Centralia, WashingtonCentralia, Washington
Centralia is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,336 at the 2010 census.-History:In pioneer days, Centralia was the halfway stopover point for stagecoaches operating between the Columbia River and Seattle. In 1850, J. G. Cochran came from Missouri with his...
by a Korean mother and an American father. He began to play the piano at age three and a half.
Albright began playing by ear and from the age of four was featured on state and national television. He did not receive formal classical training until age seven when he began his studies with Nancy Adsit of Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
.
During his time with Adsit, Albright was selected five times as an Olympia Chapter representative to the Washington State Music Teachers Convention (WSMTA) and received a Beaux Arts Society scholarship. In 1998, he made his orchestral debut with the University of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
Symphony. In 2000, he won prizes at the Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
Sonatina/Sonata Festival and won the Olympia Chapter Concerto Festival, which led to a guest artist appearance with the Capital Area Youth Symphony in 2001.
Continuing to develop his performance career, Albright performed as part of the "Wonder Kids" concert in the Elsinore Piano Series in Salem, Oregon in 2001 and performed in a concert with Dr. Tanya Stambuck of the University of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
the following January. Other performances throughout Washington included solo debuts with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra and the Seattle Philharmonic in 2002.
Albright's success continued as a prizewinner in the Northwest Chopin Festival on February 1, 2003 and first prize winner in the 2003 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition. Other concerts that year included appearances on the Steinway Young Artists Series in Seattle, Washington and a guest artist appearance with the Port Angeles Symphony in Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
.
High school/early college
Albright attended Centralia High SchoolCentralia High School (Centralia, Washington)
Centralia High School is a public high school in Centralia, Washington. It is the only high school in the Centralia School District. The Principal of Centralia High School is Mr. Tom Boehme...
, where he graduated in 2007. In 2005, he attended the Centralia College
Centralia College
Centralia College is a two-year institution of higher learning located in Centralia, Washington. Founded in 1925, Centralia is the oldest continuously operating community college in the state of Washington. As shown below, the college sits on in the middle of the town of Centralia...
as part of the Running Start
Running Start
The Running Start program in Washington state allows high school juniors and seniors to attend college courses numbered 100 or above, tuition-free, while completing high school. It is similar to dual enrollment programs common at public and private colleges and universities in other states...
Program, where he graduated with his Associate of Science Degree with Highest Honors in 2007.
2004
Albright was selected as the youngest pianist in the Young Artist program of the 2004 TCU/Cliburn Piano Institute in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. Additionally, he won the Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition a second time, the Northwest Division MTNA Senior Piano Competition in Missoula, Montana, and the Olympia Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition.
2005
Albright continued to perform extensively throughout the Pacific Northwest, including the 2005 Northwest Chopin Foundation Festival's Prizewinners' Concert at the Community Concerts Series in Centralia, Washington, and a concert with the Northwest Wind Symphony.He was one of seven competitors in the 2005 National MTNA Senior Piano Competition.
Albright was the First Prize winner in the 2005 International Institute for Young Musicians
International Institute for Young Musicians
The International Institute for Young Musicians Summer Music Academy, under the direction of Dr. Scott McBride Smith, is an internationally recognized course of intensive study for young musicians, offering instruction of the highest caliber to students from around the world who wish to improve...
(IIYM) International Piano Competition in Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
.
Albright won the 2005 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the third time, in November.
2006
Albright won Second Prize in the 2006 Schimmel Senior International Piano Competition in Tempe, ArizonaTempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
.
In June, he was the first pianist ever to win both the Solo and Ensemble Divisions of the 2006 New York Biennial National Piano Competition in New York, New York.
In August, he won first prize and all other prizes in the 2006 Eastman Young Artists' International Piano Competition at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
. Other prizes included the "Audience Prize," the "Best Performance in a Master Class" prize, and the "Best Performance of a 21st Century Work" prize. He was described as a "keyboard wizard" who "played like an angel...with a level of polish pianists twice his age would envy."
Albright won the 2006 Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the fourth time, in November.
Albright gave a concert at the 5-year memorial of the 9/11/01 World Trade Center Attacks at New York's Trinity Church, a concert with the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
, and other concerts in Washington, D.C. and Massachusetts.
2007
Albright won Third Prize as the youngest pianist at age 18 and one of four Americans in the 2007 Hilton Head International Piano CompetitionHilton Head International Piano Competition
The Hilton Head International Piano Competition is an annual piano competition held since 1996 at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina's First Presbyterian Church.-Selected list of jurors:...
in South Carolina against pianists through age 30.
He participated in the 2007 Paris Piano Institute in August 2007 where he studied with Bruce Brubaker.
College career
Albright is the first classical pianist in the Harvard/New England Conservatory 5-Year BA/MM Joint Program, where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in economics and completing a pre-medical curriculum at Harvard College (Class of 2011). He is also a Masters of Music student in Piano Performance at the New England Conservatory of Music (Class of 2012). He was named the Harvard University Leverett HouseLeverett House
Leverett House is the largest of twelve residence houses for upperclass undergraduates at Harvard University...
Artist in Residence for 2011–2012 and continues a rigorous worldwide concert schedule of about thirty-four concerts per year (thirty-two during the school year) despite being a full-time student.
2008
Albright won the 2007-2008 Harvard Bach Society OrchestraBach Society Orchestra of Harvard University
The Bach Society Orchestra, known as BachSoc, is Harvard's premier chamber orchestra. The orchestra is staffed, managed, and conducted entirely by students. Each year, the members of the orchestra select the next year's conductor, always an undergraduate...
Competition as a freshman and performed the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, No. 1 with the group in February 2008.
During the summer, he competed in the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition
IX Sydney International Piano Competition
The IX Sydney International Piano Competition took place at the Seymour Centre in Sydney from 16 July to 2 August 2008.It was won by Konstantin Shamray.-Jury: Warren Thomson Michael Brimer Manana Doidjashvili Aquiles Delle Vigne Norma Fisher...
in Sydney, Australia, where he was a semi-finalist (top 12) and won the "Prize for the Best Performance of a 21st Century Work in Stage 1."
On December 1, the pianist performed for the first time with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
at the Harvard ceremony presenting the late Senator Ted Kennedy with an Honorary Doctorate degree. At the ceremony, guests included Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer
Stephen Breyer
Stephen Gerald Breyer is an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and known for his pragmatic approach to constitutional law, Breyer is generally associated with the more liberal side of the Court....
, Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
, and then Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
, who was quoted telling Albright "If I did my job as well as you do yours, I'd be President."
2009
Albright received the 2009 Gilmore Young Artist Award, an award given to two pianists biannually after being anonymously considered for the award over the course of two years. The prestigious award comes with a $15,000 fund and an additional $10,000 for the commissioning of a new piece for the winner.He performed twice more with cellist Yo-Yo Ma; once for the 60th Anniversary for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning American novelist, editor, and professor. Her novels are known for their epic themes, vivid dialogue, and richly detailed characters. Among her best known novels are The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and Beloved...
(March, 2009) and once during a residency of the Silk Road Project (October, 2009).
Albright was a semi-finalist (top 12) in the 2009 Top of the World International Piano Competition
Top of the World International Piano Competition
The Top of the World IPC is a biennial international piano competition in Tromsø, Norway. Its first edition took place from June 14-19, 2009 and was won by Mariangela Vacatello.-Jury:** Volker Banfield** David Dubal** Roland Keller** Anne Øland...
in Tromso, Norway and won the "Elizabeth Leonskaya Special Award" at the 2009 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition in Lisbon, Portugal.
In October, Albright gave a concert and taught his first masterclass at Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
in Bellingham, WA as a guest artist for the Sanford Piano Series.
In November in New York City, Albright was one of four winners of the 2009 Young Concert Artists
Young Concert Artists
Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world...
International Auditions where he won the Paul A. Fish First Prize, the Ruth Laredo
Ruth Laredo
Ruth Laredo was an American classical pianist.She became known in the 1970s in particular for her premiere recordings of the 10 sonatas of Scriabin and the complete solo piano works of Rachmaninoff, for her Ravel recordings and in the last 16½ years before her death for her series in the...
Award, the Sander Buchman Prize, the Ronald A. Asherson Prize, and the Sander Buchman Prize, as well as four performance prizes. As a result, he is now signed with YCA for management.
Albright performed approximately twenty-eight times in the 2009-2010 Concert Season. Concert venues included those in Paris, Los Angeles, Boston, Michigan, and New York.
He gave six concerts as a 2010 Gilmore Young Artist at the 2010 Gilmore Keyboard Festival in Michigan, where he received a review describing his playing as "Poetry in motion...with flair as well as fireworks." "Maturity might be a given for a Gilmore Young Artist. But Albright's professional polish was evident, not simply in the way he played the piece, but in the manner he played with the orchestra, as opposed to against or merely alongside it." The review concluded that "This college kid...is going places in music," and that "In Royce Auditorium on Thursday, Albright was number one all the way."
Charlie Albright Scholarship and the Charlie Albright Piano
During September 2009, 7 students at the Centralia College received the "Charlie Albright Scholarship," organized by the Centralia College Foundation from funds raised by a concert Albright gave in 2008.In December 2009, the Centralia College purchased the "Charlie Albright Piano" as a result of the "Charlie Albright Piano Project." Albright gave the inaugural performance on the 9-foot Model D Steinway, purchased for Corbet Hall, on March 27, 2010.
2010
On July 22, 2010, Albright made his San Francisco SymphonySan Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
debut with the Duke Ellington "New World A-Comin'" with conductor Alondra de la Parra
Alondra de la Parra
Alondra de la Parra is a Mexican American conductor. She is also the founder and artistic director of the New York-based Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, an orchestra that promotes young soloists and composers from the Americas....
. He ended with an encore of Liszt's La Campanella to a standing ovation.
His German debut on August 20 at a castle outside of Hamburg was a huge success, with raving applause between movements, three sets of bows after the first half of the concert, and the "unusual" demand for three encores following the program.
Albright made his Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
debut with the Beethoven Piano Concerto, No. 3 with conductor Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz
Gerard Schwarz is an American conductor. He was music director of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra from 1985 to 2011.In 2007 Schwarz was named music director of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, having served as principal conductor since 2005...
on September 10, 2010.
Performances in Albright's 2010-2011 Concert Season also include concerts in Boston (Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
and the New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,019-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall, and together they are considered two of America's most acoustically perfect performance spaces...
with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra
Longwood Symphony Orchestra
The Longwood Symphony Orchestra is a volunteer non-profit orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, composed of medical professionals. Their concerts act as fundraisers for health-related non-profit organizations. It was founded in 1982 by members of the Harvard Medical School...
), New York (Merkin Concert Hall
Merkin Concert Hall
Merkin Concert Hall is a 449-seat concert hall in Manhattan, New York City. The hall, named in honor of Hermann and Ursula Merkin, is part of the Kaufman Center, a complex that includes the Lucy Moses School, a community arts school, and the Special Music School , a New York City public school for...
), and Washington, D.C. (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts center located on the Potomac River, adjacent to the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C...
). He will also give masterclasses and have residencies throughout the country.
After Albright's debut at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on February 14, 2011, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
wrote that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles...with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."
Albright was named the Harvard University Leverett House
Leverett House
Leverett House is the largest of twelve residence houses for upperclass undergraduates at Harvard University...
Artist in Residence for 2011-2012. Previous Artists in Residence at Leverett have included the likes of cellist Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
(1979–1981). In December 2010, he was named one of the 15 Most Interesting Seniors of the Harvard College Class of 2011.
2011
Albright released his first commercial album, Vivace, in February 2011.He made successful debuts with the Longwood Symphony Orchestra
Longwood Symphony Orchestra
The Longwood Symphony Orchestra is a volunteer non-profit orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, composed of medical professionals. Their concerts act as fundraisers for health-related non-profit organizations. It was founded in 1982 by members of the Harvard Medical School...
at Boston's Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall
Jordan Hall is a 1,019-seat concert hall in Boston, Massachusetts, the principal performance space of the New England Conservatory. It is one block from Boston's Symphony Hall, and together they are considered two of America's most acoustically perfect performance spaces...
on May 14, 2011 and with the Boston Pops Orchestra
Boston Pops Orchestra
The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, that specializes in playing light classical and popular music....
at Boston's Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall, Boston
Symphony Hall is a concert hall located at 301 Massachusetts Avenue in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by McKim, Mead and White, it was built in 1900 for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which continues to make the hall its home. The hall was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1999...
on May 17–18, 2011.
In June, 2011, Albright was accepted to the roster of Steinway Artists.
Charlie was the first Artist-in-Residence of the 2011-2012 season of Performance Today
Performance Today
Performance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
on American Public Media and National Public Radio, hosted by Fred Child
Fred Child
Fred Child is an American radio host. He is the host of the classical music radio program Performance Today on American Public Media. He is also the announcer and commentator for the PBS program Live from Lincoln Center.-Life:...
. As such, he gave a weeklong series of performances and interviews for the national radio program.
2011-2012 Concert Season
Albright's 2011-2012 Concert Season includes about 30 concerts and residencies throughout the United States. Highlights include a concert with cellist Yo-Yo MaYo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
and the Silk Road Project
Silk Road Project
Silk Road Project, Inc. is a not-for-profit organization, initiated by acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma in 1998, promoting collaboration among artists and institutions, promoting multicultural artistic exchange, and studying the ebb and flow of ideas among different cultures along the Silk Road. The...
commemorating the 10-year remembrance of the 9/11 attacks (September, 2011); guest artist appearances with such orchestras as the Phoenix Symphony
Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony is a major United States symphony orchestra based in Phoenix, Arizona.Founded in 1947 when Phoenix had a population of less than 100,000, the orchestra began as an occasional group of musicians performing a handful of concerts each year...
(November, 2011) and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra
Lansing Symphony Orchestra
The Lansing Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra headquartered in Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1929 under the leadership of its first Music Director, Izler Solomon. Since 2006, the orchestra has been headed by Music Director Timothy Muffitt.The LSO presents a wide variety...
in the 2012 Gilmore Keyboard Festival (May, 2012); masterclasses at universities; and solo concerts.
Reviews and reception
Albright has been critically acclaimed by many of the world's most prominent news sources and reviewers.The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
declared that "Albright is among the most gifted musicians of his generation." It continued that "An impressive range of differently colored sounds at the keyboard was matched by overwhelming virtuosity" and that Albright "leapt the most outrageous technical hurdles...with a sense of dangerous self-abandon that was thrilling to hear. At the same time, musical shape was never sacrificed to showmanship."
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
praised Charlie's "Jaw-dropping technique" and described his playing as "Virtuosity with a distinctive musicality throughout"
Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
's Democrat and Chronicle
Democrat and Chronicle
The Democrat and Chronicle is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York area. Located at 55 Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is located in the town of...
described Albright as a "keyboard wizard" who "played like an angel...with a level of polish pianists twice his age would envy."
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic
The Arizona Republic is a daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. It was ranked tenth in US daily newspapers by circulation in 2007.-Early years:The newspaper was founded...
declared that "Pianist Charlie Albright steals Phoenix Symphony show" at his debut with the orchestra on November 3, 2011.
Robert Sherman
Robert Sherman (music critic)
Robert Sherman is an American music critic, radio personality, academic, and writer on music. He is the son of pianist Nadia Reisenberg. From 1964-2003 he was a music critic for The New York Times. Since 1969 he has hosted the folk music radio program Woody's Children; for the first 30 years on...
of New York's WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM
WQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. It is the most-listened-to classical-music station in the United States, with an average quarter-hour audience of 63,000...
Radio refers to Albright as a "poet of the piano."
Vice President Joe Biden
Joe Biden
Joseph Robinette "Joe" Biden, Jr. is the 47th and current Vice President of the United States, serving under President Barack Obama...
was quoted as stating that "If I did my job as well as you (Charlie) do yours, I'd be President."