California-native Soheil Nasseri has been lauded by The New York Times as “consistently interesting… consistently thoughtful… Filled with character…” and by the Berliner Zeitung as “Fantastic! A real talent. [In Beethoven] We in the audience could not possibly have had more fun.” In addition to extensive critical acclaim for his playing, via television, radio and the internet he has been seen and heard by millions of people.
The New Yorker has noted that Mr. Nasseri is “one of New York’s most prolific recitalists.” Since 2001 he has performed 20 completely different solo recital programs in New York, all without repeating a single piece: at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, and at Merkin Concert Hall. These concerts included 27 premières of contemporary works in addition to 31 of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas, a part of Mr. Nasseri’s pledge to perform all of Beethoven’s works involving piano by the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth in 2020.
Mr. Nasseri made his European debut in 2004 at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Sicily. Since then he has performed in some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world: in addition to his regular New York concerts, he has performed solo recitals or concerti at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center in Washington, Berlin’s Philharmonie Kammermusiksaal, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, London’s Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre, Tokyo’s Musashino Center, Théâtre Fémina in Bordeaux, Florence’s Teatro Comunale, St. Petersburg’s Philharmonia, and Palermo’s Teatro Politeama, as well as concerts in Montreal (Canada), Dublin (Ireland), Bucharest (Romania), Tehran (Iran), and in thirteen States throughout the USA. As concerto soloist Mr. Nasseri has appeared with 14 different conductors. In 2010 he joined the American Ballet Theatre for 9 performances at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, playing an integral role onstage as a pianist– both acting and performing.
One of Soheil Nasseri’s interests has been his school concerts: he has performed at more than 60 public schools. Mr. Nasseri is also committed to new music and nine composers have written pieces specifically for him. As a recording artist he has 6 solo discs on the Naxos, Centaur, and Mahoor labels.
Born in Santa Monica, Soheil Nasseri began studying the piano at the age of five and at the age of twenty moved to New York in part to study with Karl Ulrich Schnabel. In 2001 Mr. Nasseri became a protégé of Jerome Lowenthal who remains Mr. Nasseri’s mentor today. Other teachers include Irina Edelman, Claude Frank, Anna Balakerskaia, Clinton Adams, Eva Pierrou, and Ann Schein.
Soheil Nasseri resides in Berlin, Germany.