"Breathtaking...."
is how the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reviewed pianist Steven
Ryan. Classical New Jersey notes that
Mr. Ryan has " exceptional tone and ongoing sense of line,"
and The Dallas Morning News says "...(Steven Ryan is)...a
subtle musician with a sense of fun."
In 2001 Steven Ryan took first place in the Concours des Grand Amateurs de
Piano international competition, after which he was immediately engaged to
return to the Sorbonne in Paris to perform Tchaikovsky's Concerto in B-Flat
Minor, which was filmed by the national television station France 2.
It was broadcast throughout France in June 2002. Also in June 2002, Mr.
Ryan returned to Paris to accompany the world recital debut of young American
violinist, Sandra Wolf-Meei Cameron, at the Festival St. Denis.
As well as winning the French competition, Mr. Ryan took second prize in the
Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs held in
2000.
Mr. Ryan's recent engagements in the United States have included and all-Mozart
solo recital in Princeton, New Jersey, as part of the Princeton Symphony’s
chamber music series, a performance of Schubert’s Trout Quintet with the
Riverside Symphonia’s chamber music series, in Boulder, Colorado, as part of
the Prominent Pianist Series, and at La Maison Française in Washington, D.C. Of
this concert the Washington Post wrote that Mr. Ryan performed with "poetic
sensitivity". In addition, Mr. Ryan has recently performed
Mozart's Piano Concerto in D Minor, K. 466, with the Northeastern Pennsylvania
Philharmonic, where critics hailed Mr. Ryan as "simply magnificent"
performing with "masterful clarity".
Mr. Ryan has performed as an orchestral keyboardist with most of the major
orchestras in New York City, including members of the Metropolitan Opera
Orchestra. He has played celesta with the legendary Berlin Philharmonic at
Carnegie hall under the baton of Bernhard Haitink, continuo and piano with The
Dessoff Choirs and has frequently performed on the synthesizer with the Moody
Blues rock band. In addition, he regularly performs with the Northeast
Pennsylvania Philharmonic, the American Symphony, the Riverside Symphony,
Riverside Symphonia, The Long Island Philharmonic and the New Jersey Philharmonic.
Mr. Ryan earned his Bachelors of Music from the University of Minnesota. While
in Minneapolis, he had the honor of assisting Neville Marriner as a rehearsal
pianist, often working one-on-one with him and his guest soloists. He also
appeared with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Charles Dutoit.
Mr. Ryan placed second in the Minnesota Orchestra's WAMSO competition with a
jury that consisted of Pinkas Zukerman and Sir Neville Marriner.
As a vocal accompanist Mr. Ryan has performed with such noted singers as Lucy
Shelton, Irene Gubrud, Paul Sperry. He has been an avid vocal accompanist and
voice coach throughout his career. He has been privileged to work with eminent
artists such as Frederica Von Stade, Catherine Malfitano, Carmen Pelton,
Milagro Vargas and the Wagnerian soprano Linda Kelm.
In addition to the
Tchaikovsky and Mozart concertos, Mr. Ryan has performed Beethoven's Concerto
No. 1, Strawinsky's Concerto for Piano and Winds, Edward MacDowell Concerto No.
2 and Prokofiev's Concerto No. 3.
Mr. Ryan has studied with such noted teachers as Seymour Bernstein, Germaine
Deveze, Richard Shirk, Arlene Shrut, John Perry and Edith Oppens.