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Barbara Nissman (born December 31, 1944 in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
) is an American pianist. She is especially known for her interpretations and
performances A performance is an act of staging or presenting a play, concert, or other form of entertainment. It is also defined as the action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. Management science In the work place ...
of the works of
Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...
and
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
which feature prominently in her
repertoire A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform. Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...
. She is also a writer and a producer of a new DVD series, and a guest clinician presenting concerts, master classes and lectures world-wide. Nissman's international career was personally launched by
Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...
with debuts arranged in all of the major European capitals after he heard her perform as a student at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. She subsequently made her American professional debut as soloist with Ormandy and the
Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...
. She has also performed with some of the leading orchestras in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, including the
London Philharmonic The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...
, the
Royal Philharmonic The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, that performs and produces primarily classic works. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable ...
, the
BBC Symphony The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...
, the
Rotterdam Philharmonic The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra (RPhO; nl, Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest) is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orc ...
and the
Munich Philharmonic The Munich Philharmonic (german: Münchner Philharmoniker, links=no) is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Rad ...
. In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
she has appeared with the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
, the
Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription ...
, the
Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
, the
Pittsburgh Symphony The ''Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra'' (''PSO'') is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra's home is Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District, Pittsburgh, Cultural District. History The Pittsburgh Sy ...
, the
St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...
, the
National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. It also performs for the annual National Mem ...
and the
Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Sev ...
, among others. She has worked with major conductors of our time, including
Eugene Ormandy Eugene Ormandy (born Jenő Blau; November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) was a Hungarian-born American conductor and violinist, best known for his association with the Philadelphia Orchestra, as its music director. His 44-year association wit ...
,
Riccardo Muti Riccardo Muti, (; born 28 July 1941) is an Italian conductor. He currently holds two music directorships, at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and at the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini. Muti has previously held posts at the Maggio Musicale ...
,
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski Stanislav and variants may refer to: People *Stanislav (given name), a Slavic given name with many spelling variations (Stanislaus, Stanislas, Stanisław, etc.) Places * Stanislav, a coastal village in Kherson, Ukraine * Stanislaus County, Cali ...
and
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
. The final composition of Argentine composer
Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...
, ''Piano Sonata No. 3'', was dedicated to Nissman; its first performance was given at
Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...
,
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
in 1982. Nissman uncovered the manuscript of Ginastera's ''Concierto Argentino'' in the Fleisher Collection of the
Free Library of Philadelphia The Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system that serves Philadelphia. It is the 13th-largest public library system in the United States. The Free Library of Philadelphia is a non-Mayoral agency of the City of Philadelphia gove ...
and reintroduced the piece in 2011 with the blessings of the composer’s estate. In 2010, the last composition by
Benjamin Lees Benjamin Lees (January 8, 1924 – May 31, 2010) was an American composer of classical music. Early life Lees was born Benjamin George Lisniansky in Harbin, Manchuria, of Russian-Jewish descent. Lees was still an infant when his family emigra ...
, ''Visage'', was written for Nissman. She has also participated in many other premiere performances. Nissman made history in 1989 by becoming the first pianist to perform the complete piano sonatas of
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
in a series of three recitals in both New York and London. Her recordings of this repertoire represented the first complete set of Prokofiev's piano sonatas made available on compact disc. In June 2014 at
Steinway Hall Steinway Hall (German: ) is the name of buildings housing concert halls, showrooms and sales departments for Steinway & Sons pianos. The first Steinway Hall was opened in 1866 in New York City. Today, Steinway Halls and are located in cities such ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Nissman launched her record label Three Oranges Recordings, devoted to furthering classical music and making it more accessible. In 2017, the Three Oranges Foundation was established with the primary goal of making classical music accessible and relevant to everyman: taking it into the community, bringing it into the schools, and making it part of the daily lives of the average person. The Foundation will support the innovative educational work of Barbara as manifested in her lectures, master-classes, informal concerts, solo and orchestral appearances, benefit concerts, and her uniquely conceived DVD series of educational master classes.


Education and awards

Nissman attended the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
on full scholarship and received a
Bachelor of Music Bachelor of Music (BM or BMus) is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of a program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree, and the majority of work consists of prescr ...
degree in 1966. Upon graduation she was awarded the Stanley Medal (named after Albert A. Stanley, Director of the
School of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
from 1888 to 1921), "presented annually to the graduating senior...most outstanding in his or her curriculum, with special consideration given to scholarship and public performance." In 1966 she was awarded a three-year
National Defense Education Act The National Defense Education Act (NDEA) was signed into law on September 2, 1958, providing funding to United States education institutions at all levels.Schwegler 1 NDEA was among many science initiatives implemented by President Dwight D. ...
Title IV fellowship for her master and doctoral studies at the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
. Nissman was also awarded a three-year post-doctoral grant from the university (underwritten by the
Power Power most often refers to: * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events ** Abusive power Power may a ...
Foundation in 1969) to begin her international performing career. In 1981 she was the recipient of the Michigan Alumnae Council's Athena Award, bestowed annually since 1973 "on outstanding alumnae who have distinguished themselves in professional and humanitarian endeavors," and the
School of Music A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...
's Citation of Merit Award in 1996, presented annually "to recognize and honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions to society, their profession, r to the university" Nissman also received grants from the Martha Baird Rockefeller Foundation and
The Philadelphia Foundation The Philadelphia Foundation is a community foundation that serves the Greater Philadelphia community. The five primary counties served are Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery. It is one of the oldest and largest community fou ...
, as well as a
National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...
recital grant to present the
Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer ...
sonata series at
Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...
,
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
in 1989. In 2003, Nissman was one of 23 pianists profiled in the article "Hall of Legends," which appeared in the ''
Steinway & Sons Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Henry E. Steinway, Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to ...
150th Anniversary Commemorative Publication''. The profiled pianists, chosen from the thousands of past and present
Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...
artists, also included
Martha Argerich Martha Argerich (; Eastern Catalan: ɾʒəˈɾik born 5 June 1941) is an Argentine classical concert pianist. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest pianists of all time. Early life and education Argerich was born in Buenos Ai ...
,
Daniel Barenboim Daniel Barenboim (; in he, דניאל בארנבוים, born 15 November 1942) is an Argentine-born classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin. He has been since 1992 General Music Director of the Berlin State Opera and "Staatskapellmeist ...
,
Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 15 million albums worldwide, including over six million in the US. On December 11, 2009, '' Billboard'' maga ...
,
Van Cliburn Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (; July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold Wa ...
,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
,
Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
,
James Levine James Lawrence Levine (; June 23, 1943 – March 9, 2021) was an American conductor and pianist. He was music director of the Metropolitan Opera from 1976 to 2016. He was terminated from all his positions and affiliations with the Met on March 1 ...
,
Murray Perahia Murray David Perahia () (born April 19, 1947) is an American pianist and conductor. He is widely considered one of the greatest living pianists. He was the first North American pianist to win the Leeds International Piano Competition, in 1972. Kno ...
, Edward Kennedy Ellington,
Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel KBE (born 5 January 1931) is an Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is known particularly for his performances of Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Beethoven.Stephen Plaistow"Brendel, Alfred" ''G ...
,
Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern American English, Southern-accented singing style, early Americana (music), Americana-influenced songs (often ...
,
Evgeny Kissin Evgeny Igorevich Kissin (russian: link=no, Евге́ний И́горевич Ки́син, translit=Evgénij Ígorevič Kísin, yi, link=no, יעווגעני קיסין, translit=Yevgeni Kisin; born 10 October 1971) is a Russian concert pianis ...
,
Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...
,
Krystian Zimerman Krystian Zimerman (born 5 December 1956) is a Polish-Swiss concert pianist, conductor and pedagogue who has been described as one of the greatest pianists of his generation. In 1975, he won the IX International Chopin Piano Competition. Follo ...
,
Christopher O'Riley Christopher O'Riley is an American classical pianist and public radio show host. He was the host of the weekly National Public Radio program ''From the Top''. O'Riley is also known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative. Early life O ...
,
Maurizio Pollini Maurizio Pollini (born 5 January 1942) is an Italian pianist. He is known for performances of compositions by Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy, among others. He has also championed and performed works by contemporary composers such as Pierre Boulez ...
,
Ignace Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (;  – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...
,
Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...
,
Marcus Roberts Marthaniel "Marcus" Roberts (born August 7, 1963) is an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, bandleader, and teacher. Early life Roberts was born in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. His mother was a gospel singer who had gone blind a ...
,
Mitsuko Uchida is a classical pianist and conductor, born in Japan and naturalised in Britain, particularly noted for her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert. She has appeared with many notable orchestras, recorded a wide repertory with several labels, w ...
,
Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
, and
Billy Taylor Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...
. In 2006, Nissman was elected to the Court of Honor of Distinguished Daughters of the
Philadelphia High School for Girls The Philadelphia High School for Girls, also known as Girls' High, is a public college preparatory magnet high school for girls in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As its name suggests, the school's enrollment is all female. Established in 1848, it ...
"for outstanding lifetime achievement as an internationally acclaimed concert pianist, recording artist and educator." In 2008 Nissman was a recipient of the Governor's Arts Award from the
State of West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
for "Distinguished Service to the Arts." In March 2016, she was honored by the
State of West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
Division of Culture and History with its "Order of the Arts & Historical Letters" as well as its "Excellence in Support of the Arts" award. In March, 2020 Nissman received the Governor's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts from the State of West Virginia. In June, 2023, Barbara Nissman will be inducted into the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame joining well known classical musicians: George Crumb, Eleanor Steber, Phyllis Curtin and jazz and country greats from the state of West Virginia.


Alberto Ginastera

Barbara Nissman has long been associated with the music of
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...
Alberto Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...
, and the composer's final work, ''Piano Sonata No. 3'', Op. 54 (1982) is dedicated to her. In 1976 she was invited by the composer to play his ''Piano Concerto No. 1'', Op. 28 (1961) in Geneva at his sixtieth birthday celebration, where she performed the work with
L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) is a Swiss symphony orchestra, based in Geneva at the Victoria Hall. In addition to symphony concerts, the OSR performs as the opera orchestra in productions at the Grand Théâtre de Genève. History E ...
conducted by
Jean-Marie Auberson Jean-Marie Auberson (May 2, 1920 – July 4, 2004) was a Swiss conductor and violinist. Early life and education Auberson was born in Chavornay, Vaud; his father, François Auberson, was a farmer. He studied violin and viola at the Lausanne Con ...
. She also presented the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
premiere of the concerto at
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
’s
Concertgebouw The Royal Concertgebouw ( nl, Koninklijk Concertgebouw, ) is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" translates into English as "concert building". Its superb acoustics place it among the finest concert halls i ...
and its UK premiere with the
BBC Symphony The BBC Symphony Orchestra (BBC SO) is a British orchestra based in London. Founded in 1930, it was the first permanent salaried orchestra in London, and is the only one of the city's five major symphony orchestras not to be self-governing. T ...
, and has performed the concerto with the
Chicago Symphony The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) was founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891. The ensemble makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival. The music director is Riccardo Muti, who began his tenure ...
,
St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is the second-oldest professional symphony or ...
and the
New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
under
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
. In 2006 she co-hosted a five-part
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
series that featured Ginastera as Composer-of-the-Week. In 2011, with the
University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
Symphony Orchestra conducted by
Kenneth Kiesler Kenneth Kiesler (born August 18, 1953) is an American symphony orchestra and opera conductor and mentor to conductors. Kiesler is conductor laureate of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra where he was music director from 1980 to 2000 and founder and d ...
, she performed all 3 piano concertos in one evening including ''Concierto Argentino'' for piano and orchestra (an early work written in 1935 and then withdrawn from the catalogue by the composer shortly after its first performance) and the first performance in its original form of Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 39 (1972). Nissman et al.'s disc of all three concerti on the Pierian label represents the first recording of all three works and the “official reintroduction” of the ''Concierto Argentino''. After Nissman discovered this concerto in the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Aurora Natola-Ginastera, the widow of the composer, granted her exclusivity to perform the work and also to make available its first recording. Nissman is also the editor of the new critical edition of Piano Concerto No. 2, published by
Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British music publisher purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass, string and woodwind musical instruments. Formed in 1930 throu ...
. In 2016 Nissman celebrated Ginastera’s 100th birthday with a series of concerts devoted to the man and his music at Spectrum in NYC and also at Kings Place, London as well as master classes and lectures throughout the UK. On April 28, 2016, Nissman gave a lecture and performed works by Ginastera at a special celebration held at the Argentine Embassy in Washington, D.C. Nissman's article “Remembering Alberto Ginastera—a centenary tribute” appeared in the April–June 2016 issue of ''
Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music journal edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such journals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication since ...
'' (UK)


Sergei Prokofiev

Nissman made history in 1989 by becoming the first pianist to perform the complete piano sonatas of
Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, p ...
in a series of three recitals in both New York and London, and premiered the two-page fragment of Prokofiev’s ''Piano Sonata No. 10 in E minor'', Op. 137 (1952) during her Prokofiev series at
Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
. Her recordings of this repertoire represented the first complete set of Prokofiev's piano sonatas made available on compact disc. As a Prokofiev scholar and authority, Nissman first visited the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in 1984, at the height of the
Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...
, as a guest of the Embassy of Denmark in Moscow. In 1998 she returned to
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
as a guest of the
Moscow State Conservatory The Moscow Conservatory, also officially Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (russian: Московская государственная консерватория им. П. И. Чайковского, link=no) is a musical educational inst ...
to present master classes and concerts of Prokofiev's music, and also presented master classes at the
St. Petersburg Conservatory The N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov Saint Petersburg State Conservatory (russian: Санкт-Петербургская государственная консерватория имени Н. А. Римского-Корсакова) (formerly known as th ...
. In commemoration of Prokofiev's 100th birthday in 1991, Nissman performed the complete cycle of his piano sonatas throughout
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
and the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. On May 8, 2004, Nissman presented a
lecture A lecture (from Latin ''lēctūra'' “reading” ) is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical inform ...
at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
titled “Prokofiev Meets Gershwin: Gershwin Meets Prokofiev,” as part of a conference titled ''Prokofiev and America.'' The conference, which also featured lectures by
Arnold Whittall Arnold Whittall (born 1935, Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England) is a British musicologist and writer. He is Professor Emeritus at King's College London. Between 1975 and 1996 he was Professor at King's. Previously he lectured at Cambridge, Nottingham ...
,
Alastair Macaulay Alastair Macaulay is an English writer and dance critic. He was the chief dance critic for ''The New York Times'' from 2007 until he retired in 2018. He was previously chief dance critic at ''The Times'' and Literary Supplement and chief theater cr ...
,
Harlow Robinson Harlow Loomis Robinson (born 20 September 1950) is a Matthews Distinguished University Professor of History at Northeastern University who specializes in Soviet and Russian cultural history, with writings on Soviet film and performing arts. ...
, Noëlle Mann, et al., was jointly sponsored by the university’s Sergei Prokofiev Archive and its Institute of United States Studies (now the
Institute for the Study of the Americas The Institute for the Study of the Americas (ISA) was established in 2004 following a merger of the Institute of Latin American Studies and the Institute of United States Studies. ISA formed part of the University of London’s School of Advanced ...
). The lecture was adapted into an article titled “When Gershwin Met Prokofiev” that was printed in the Winter 2005 issue of ''Piano Today'' magazine and adapted for the January 2016 issue of the ''Three Oranges Journal''. Nissman also performed several of Prokofiev's solo piano works at the conference's John Coffin Memorial Recital. Nissman was a featured performer at the dedication of
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
's Prokofiev Archive on April 24, 2015, with members of the Prokofiev family in attendance. She was also a featured performer at the International Prokofiev Symposium, held at
Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...
in February 2016, that also featured addresses by
Richard Taruskin Richard Filler Taruskin (April 2, 1945 – July 1, 2022) was an American musicologist and music critic who was among the leading and most prominent music historians of his generation. The breadth of his scrutiny into source material as well as ...
,
Simon Morrison Simon Morrison is a scholar and writer specializing in 20th-century music, particularly Russian, Soviet, and French music, with special interests in dance, cinema, aesthetics, and historically informed performance based on primary sources. He has ...
and
Gabriel Prokofiev Gabriel Prokofiev (born 6 January 1975) is a Russian-British composer, producer, DJ, and Artistic Director of the Nonclassical record label and nightclub. Early life Gabriel Prokofiev was born on 6 January 1975 to an English mother and a Russi ...
. Prokofiev biographer Daniel Jaffé, in the December 2008 issue of
BBC Music Magazine ''BBC Music Magazine'' is a British monthly magazine that focuses primarily on classical music. History The first issue appeared in September 1992. BBC Worldwide, the commercial subsidiary of the BBC was the original owner and publisher toget ...
, selected Nissman's recordings as the best recordings of Prokofiev's piano music.


Béla Bartók

In 2002
Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
published Nissman’s book,''Bartók and the Piano: A Performer’s View'', including a full-length CD of selected works performed by the author. At the University of Michigan Nissman studied with
György Sándor György Sándor (; 21 September 1912 – 9 December 2005) was a Hungarian pianist and writer. Early years Sándor was born in Budapest. He studied at the Liszt Academy in Budapest under Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and debuted as ...
, himself a student of
Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist, and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as H ...
. Nissman was the first to perform and record Bartók’s unpublished 1898 Sonata, which she discovered in the
Morgan Library The Morgan Library & Museum, formerly the Pierpont Morgan Library, is a museum and research library in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is situated at 225 Madison Avenue, between 36th Street to the south and 37th S ...
's manuscript collection while researching her book. ''Out of Doors'', the first release on Nissman's own label Three Oranges Recordings, pays homage to Bartok's 1926 composition.


Notable achievements

From 1977 to 1980 Nissman served as
artist in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
for the
John Deere Deere & Company, doing business as John Deere (), is an American corporation that manufactures agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, forestry machinery, diesel engines, drivetrains (axles, transmissions, gearboxes) used in heavy equipment, ...
corporation, providing "recitals, master classes, and a music lecture series to Deere plant communities in the U.S. and abroad for six months each year." This was the first time an international corporation employed a classical artist to appear in factories, plants, and branch houses throughout the United States, Mexico and Europe. Prior to her work with John Deere, she participated in the Affiliate Artists program, serving from 1974 to 1976 as Affiliate Artist for the Arizona Commission on the Arts, widening the audience for classical music by presenting informal concerts at unconventional venues. From 1978-1980, Nissman appeared on
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
's popular daytime show, ''Pebble Mill at One'', and introduced the series ''Barbara & Friends'' with Barbara chatting informally about her favorite composer "friends" and their music. A documentary was made by
BBC Television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 193 ...
about Barbara and her outreach work in schools, factories and in the concert hall. In 1982, Nissman was the featured performer in the first Gracht (Canal) concert held in Amsterdam on the
Prinsengracht The Prinsengracht is a -long canal that runs parallel to the Keizersgracht in the center of Amsterdam. The canal, named after the Prince of Orange, is the fourth of the four main canals belonging to the canal belt. History Construction started ...
and attended by 8,000 people. The Prinsengracht concerts have remained a popular summer tradition, with audiences arriving on foot or in their boats to listen. 40 years later, in 2022, Nissman again was a lead star at the famous
Prinsengrachtconcert The Prinsengrachtconcert is an annual open-air concert of classical music held annually in August since 1981 on the Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. The orchestra is situated on a pontoon anchored in front of the Hotel Pulitzer; much of the audience w ...
. In 1984 Nissman was one of the featured performers at the Dedication of the American Poets' Corner at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
hosted the event that also included appearances by
Rosalyn Tureck Rosalyn Tureck (December 14, 1913 – July 17, 2003) was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach. However, she had a wide-ranging repertoire that included works by composers ...
,
Paul Winter Paul Winter (born August 31, 1939) is an American saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He is a pioneer of world music and earth music, which interweaves the voices of the wild with instrumental voices from classical, jazz and world music. The ...
,
Michael Tree Michael Tree (February 19, 1934 – March 30, 2018), born Michael Applebaum, was an American violist. Biography Tree was born in Newark, New Jersey. His principal studies were with Efrem Zimbalist on violin and viola at the Curtis Institute o ...
,
Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the foun ...
, and readings by the actor
Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
and the poets
Robert Penn Warren Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the liter ...
, Daniel Haberman and
Edgar Bowers Edgar Bowers (; March 2, 1924 – February 4, 2000) was an American poet who won the Bollingen Prize in Poetry in 1989."E ...
. In 1988, Nissman was one of the participants in the "International Celebration of the Piano" held at
Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
, celebrating
Steinway Steinway & Sons, also known as Steinway (), is a German-American piano company, founded in 1853 in Manhattan by German piano builder Heinrich Engelhard Steinweg (later known as Henry E. Steinway). The company's growth led to the opening of a ...
's 135th anniversary. For the 1996
Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
25th Anniversary Gala Concert, broadcast on public television, Nissman performed two numbers arranged for ten pianos, alongside pianists
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
(who also conducted the ensemble),
David Buechner Sara Davis Buechner (born David Buechner; 1959)" _overview.html" ;"title="Allmusic: David Buechner > overview">Allmusic: David Buechner > overview, retrieved February 25, 2007. is an American concert pianist and educator currently based in Philade ...
,
Cy Coleman Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, United States, to Eastern European Jewish parents ...
,
Joseph Kalichstein Joseph Kalichstein (15 January 1946 – 31 March 2022) was an American classical pianist who performed in the concerto, solo recital and chamber music repertoire, the latter mainly with Jaime Laredo and Sharon Robinson (cellist), Sharon Robinson ...
,
Peter Nero Peter Nero (born Bernard Nierow, May 22, 1934) is an American pianist and pops conductor. He directed the Philly Pops from 1979 to 2013, and has earned two Grammy Awards. Early life Born in Brooklyn, New York, as Bernard Nierow, he started h ...
,
David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen ...
,
Peter Schickele "Professor" Peter Schickele (; born July 17, 1935) is an American composer, musical educator, and parody, parodist, best known for comedy albums featuring his music, but which he presents as being composed by the fictional P. D. Q. Bach. He also ...
, Jeffrey Siegel, and
Alicia Witt Alicia Roanne Witt (born August 21, 1975) is an American actress, singer and pianist. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch, who cast her in '' Dune'' (1984) and ''Twin Peaks'' (1990). Witt had a critic ...
. Since 2002, Nissman has been involved with the Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation benefit concert series "A Concerted Effort". To date these concerts have raised well over two million dollars for AIDS service organizations worldwide. In November 2014 she performed at a gala at the
de Young Museum The de Young Museum, formally the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco, California. Located in Golden Gate Park, it is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, along with the Legion of Honor ...
in San Francisco to honor Dr. Arthur Ammann, founder of Global Strategies, an organization that serves the healthcare needs of women and children in neglected areas of the world. In 2007, Nissman appeared on stage with
Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...
and
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
, performing on the "Walden Woods Steinway" in a gala fundraiser for the
Walden Woods Project The Walden Woods Project (WWP) is a nonprofit organization located in Lincoln, Massachusetts, devoted to the legacy of Henry David Thoreau and the preservation of Walden Woods, the forest around Walden Pond that spans Lincoln and Concord, Massachuse ...
, held at
Jazz at Lincoln Center Jazz at Lincoln Center is part of Lincoln Center in New York City. The organization was founded in 1987 and opened at Time Warner Center in October 2004. Wynton Marsalis is the artistic director and the leader of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orches ...
.


Books, Writings and Editions (selected)

* Author of ''Bartók and the Piano: A Performer’s View'', published by Scarecrow Press with a full-length CD of selected Bartók works performed by the author * Editor of the Critical Edition of ''Piano Concerto No. 2'' by Alberto Ginastera, published by Boosey & Hawkes in 2016 (also contributed to the editing of Ginastera's ''Piano Sonata No. 2'', ''Piano Sonata No. 3'' and ''Concierto Argentino'', all published by Boosey & Hawkes) * Contributor to ''The Pianist’s Craft'', published by Scarecrow Press and edited by Richard P. Anderson: “Sergei Prokofiev, A Man Misunderstood” * Contributor to ''The Pianist’s Craft 2'', published by Rowman & Littlefield and edited by Richard P. Anderson: “Remembering Alberto Ginastera” * Contributor to ''Remembering Horowitz: 125 Pianists Recall a Legend'', first published by Schirmer Books and compiled and edited by
David Dubal David Dubal (born Cleveland, Ohio) is an American pianist, teacher, author, lecturer, broadcaster, and painter. Musician and painter Dubal has given piano recitals and master classes worldwide, and has also judged international piano competitions ...
* Contributor to "Understanding Bartók" symposium in March/April 2014 issue of ''International Piano'' magazine (UK) * Contributor to "Prokofiev's Pianism" symposium in July/August 2013 issue of ''International Piano'' magazine (UK) * Author of "Remembering Ginastera" for ''Piano Today'' (cover story) * Author of "Remembering Alberto Ginastera—a centenary tribute," ''
Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music journal edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such journals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication since ...
'', UK (April–June 2016 issue) * Author of “When Gershwin met Prokofiev” for ''Piano Today'' (cover story of Winter 2005 issue); also adapted for ''Three Oranges Journal'' (Jan. 2016) * Author of “The Many Faces of Prokofiev as seen through his Piano Concertos” for ''Three Oranges Journal'' (November 2002 issue)“The Many Faces of Prokofiev…”, ''Three Oranges Journal'' (November 2002)
(Three Oranges Journal website) * Additional articles and master classes on
Ginastera Alberto Evaristo Ginastera (; April 11, 1916June 25, 1983) was an Argentinian composer of classical music. He is considered to be one of the most important 20th-century classical composers of the Americas. Biography Ginastera was born in Buen ...
,
Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer ...
, Bartók &
Liszt Franz Liszt, in modern usage ''Liszt Ferenc'' . Liszt's Hungarian passport spelled his given name as "Ferencz". An orthographic reform of the Hungarian language in 1922 (which was 36 years after Liszt's death) changed the letter "cz" to simpl ...
published in ''Keynote'', ''Keyboard Classics'', ''Piano Today'', ''
Musical Opinion ''Musical Opinion'', often abbreviated to ''MO'', is a European classical music journal edited and produced in the UK. It is currently among the oldest such journals to be still publishing in the UK, having been continuously in publication since ...
'' (UK), ''Piano'' (UK), ''
Musical Times ''The Musical Times'' is an academic journal of classical music edited and produced in the United Kingdom and currently the oldest such journal still being published in the country. It was originally created by Joseph Mainzer in 1842 as ''Mainzer ...
'' (UK) Works in progress: * ''Prokofiev and the Piano: A Performer's View'' * ''Alberto Ginastera: A Man of Latin America,'' the second program in a series of master-classes on DVD, written and conceived by Nissman, scheduled for release in 2022.


DVD Series

* ''Franz Liszt: Portrait of the Man and His Masterwork, the 'Sonata in B minor, with
Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''Ro ...
as the voice of Liszt, the first in a series of master-classes on DVD, written and conceived by Nissman. Also heard as Liszt’s contemporaries are
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...
( Chopin),
Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...
(
Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped with ...
),
Harry Connick Jr. Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. (born September 11, 1967) is an American singer, pianist, composer, actor, and television host. He has sold over 28million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top60 best-selling male artists in the Uni ...
( Czerny),
Rebecca De Mornay Rebecca De Mornay (born Rebecca Jane Pearch; August 29, 1959) is an American actress and producer. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she starred as Lana in ''Risky Business''. She is known for her role as Debby Huston in the Neil S ...
(
Clara Schumann Clara Josephine Schumann (; née Wieck; 13 September 1819 – 20 May 1896) was a German pianist, composer, and piano teacher. Regarded as one of the most distinguished pianists of the Romantic era, she exerted her influence over the course of a ...
),
Rosemary Harris Rosemary Ann Harris (born 19 September 1927) is an English actress. She is the recipient of such accolades as a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In ...
( Princess Carolyne Wittgenstein),
John Schuck Conrad John Schuck Jr. (born February 4, 1940) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for his role as Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama ''McMillan & Wife''. He also played Herman Munster in the late-1980s ...
(
Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...
),
Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...
(
Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...
),
Peter Schickele "Professor" Peter Schickele (; born July 17, 1935) is an American composer, musical educator, and parody, parodist, best known for comedy albums featuring his music, but which he presents as being composed by the fictional P. D. Q. Bach. He also ...
( Berlioz),
David Dubal David Dubal (born Cleveland, Ohio) is an American pianist, teacher, author, lecturer, broadcaster, and painter. Musician and painter Dubal has given piano recitals and master classes worldwide, and has also judged international piano competitions ...
(
Heine Heine is both a surname and a given name of German origin. People with that name include: People with the surname * Albert Heine (1867–1949), German actor * Alice Heine (1858–1925), American-born princess of Monaco * Armand Heine (1818–1883) ...
),
Manfred Honeck Manfred Honeck (born 17 September 1958, in Nenzing) is an Austrian conductor. He is currently the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Early life Honeck was born in Nenzing, Austria, near the border with Switzerland and Liechten ...
(
Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classical ...
,
Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as treat ...
),
Barbara Feldon Barbara Feldon (born Barbara Anne Hall; March 12, 1933) is an American actress primarily known for her roles on television. Her most prominent role was that of Agent 99 in the 1965–1970 sitcom ''Get Smart''. Early life Feldon was born Barbara ...
(
George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...
),
Stuart Margolin Stuart Margolin (January 31, 1940 – December 12, 2022) was an American film, theater, and television actor and director who won two Emmy Awards for playing Evelyn "Angel" Martin on the 1970s television series ''The Rockford Files''. In 1973, h ...
(
Carl Lachmund Carl V. Lachmund (27 March 185320 February 1928) was an American classical pianist, teacher, conductor, composer, and diarist. He was a student of Franz Liszt for three years, and his detailed diaries of his time with Liszt provide an invaluable i ...
),
Bill McGlaughlin William McGlaughlin (born October 3, 1943) is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs ''Exploring Music'' and ''Saint P ...
( Grieg,
Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...
),
Miles Chapin The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English ...
(
Hans von Bülow Freiherr Hans Guido von Bülow (8 January 1830 – 12 February 1894) was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. As one of the most distinguished conductors of the 19th century, his activity was critical for es ...
) and the voices of Anna Singer, Dennis Rooney, Pete Ballard, Kermit Medsker & Jon Cavendish.The second part focuses on Liszt's masterwork, the B minor Sonata with personal insights into performance and appreciation of this complex work. A concert performance of the Sonata in B minor concludes this 2-DVD set. The second program of the series ''Alberto Ginastera: A Man of Latin America'' is currently in production and is scheduled for release in 2022.


Discography (selected)

*''Schubert: Voice of a Poet''. The Last Sonatas.D.959, D.960. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-29 (2021) *''Beethoven: The Virtuoso''. The Early Sonatas. Opus 2 No. 3, Opus 7, Opus 26. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-27 (2020) *''Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev & Ramey''. Rachmaninoff Second Piano Sonata (earlier, uncut version), Six Moments Musicaux, Prokofiev Tenth Sonata fragment (1953), plus the first performance of Phillip Ramey's Tenth Piano Sonata, dedicated to Barbara Nissman. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-26 (2019) * ''Chopin: The Nocturnes and Barcarolle & Polonaise in F# minor''. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-25 (2017) * ''CHOPIN!'' Sonata in B minor, Berceuse, Four Scherzi. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-24 (2017) * ''Beethoven: The Late Sonatas''. Piano Sonata No. 30 (Op. 109), No. 31 (Op. 110) and No. 32 (Op. 111). Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-23 (2017) * ''Liszt: The Transcendentals''. 12 Etudes, plus ''Funérailles'' and ''Valse Oubliée No. 1 in F# minor''. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-22 (2017) * ''Fireworks!'' Brahms Sonata no. 3 in F minor, plus music by Liszt, Scarlatti and Debussy. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-20 (2014) * ''Out of Doors.'' Bartók ''Out of Doors'', plus music by Schubert, Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Hummel, Mendelssohn and Prokofiev. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-19 (2014) * ''Fascinating Rhythms!'' Music of Prokofiev, Schumann, Chopin, Benjamin Lees, Albéniz, Ginastera and Gershwin. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-18 (reissue of Pierian 0046) (2014) * ''Not TOO serious...'' Beethoven’s ''Diabelli Variations'', plus music of Bartók, Liszt and Prokofiev. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-17 (reissue of Pierian 0045) (2014) * ''Romantic Tales.'' Music of Chopin, Ravel, Prokofiev, Buxtehude (arr. Prokofiev), Scriabin, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Rachmaninoff. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-16 (reissue of Pierian 0043) (2014) * ''Love & War.'' Prokofiev's Sonata no. 6, plus music of Liszt, Benjamin Lees, Bartók and Chopin. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-15 (reissue of Pierian 0041) (2014) * ''Journeys of the Soul.'' Music of Bach, Ravel, Liszt, Scriabin and Balakirev. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-14 (reissue of Pierian 0038) (2014) * ''Triumph!'' Beethoven "Hammerklavier", plus music of Bach, Liszt and Prokofiev. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-13 (reissue of Pierian 0037) (2014) * ''Glory in the Highest!'' Music of Bach-Busoni, Barber, Franck, Beethoven, Granados, Ginastera and Debussy. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-12 (reissue of Pierian 0036) (2014) * ''Dramatic Visions.'' Music of Beethoven, Prokofiev, Schubert, Wagner, Liszt and Chopin. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-11 (reissue of Pierian 0035) (2014) * ''Love & Loss, Volume II: Music of Rachmaninoff.'' ''Études-Tableaux'' Op. 33 & 39, plus other pieces. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-10 (reissue of Pierian 0031) (2014) * ''Love & Loss, Volume I: Music of Rachmaninoff.'' ''Preludes'' Op. 23 & 32. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-09 (reissue of Pierian 0028) (2014) * ''A Noble Heart: Music of Johannes Brahms.'' Sonata no. 2 in F# minor, plus other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-08 (reissue of Pierian 0027) (2014) * ''The Storyteller: Music of Robert Schumann.'' ''Kreisleriana'', ''Fantasy'', plus other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-07 (reissue of Pierian 0025) (2014) * ''Longing...Music of Frederic Chopin.'' ''Polonaise-Fantasy'', plus other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-06 (reissue of Pierian 0019) (2014) * ''Visions: Sonatas of Beethoven, Vol. I.'' Waldstein, Moonlight, and Appassionata sonatas, plus Rondo op. 129. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-05 (reissue of Pierian 0020) (2014) * ''Folk Music & More: Music of Béla Bartók.'' Sonata (1898), plus other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-04 (reissue of Pierian 0016) (2014) * ''Superstar! Music of Franz Liszt.'' Sonata in B minor and other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-03 (reissue of Pierian 0015) (2014) * ''Prokofiev by Nissman: The Complete Sonatas.'' Sonatas 1-10 (both versions of no. 5); Four Pieces, Op. 4; Toccata; Sarcasms; Visions Fugitives. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-02 (reissue of Pierian 0007/8/9) (2014) * ''Alberto Ginastera: The Complete Music for Piano & Piano/Chamber Ensembles''. Sonatas 1-3, Danzas Argentinas, Tres Piezas, Malambo, plus other works. Three Oranges Recordings 3OR-01 (reissue of Pierian 0005/6) (2014) *''Nissman Plays Ginastera: The Three Piano Concertos''. Barbara Nissman, piano; Kenneth Kiesler, conductor; University of Michigan Symphony Orchestra. Pierian 0048 (2012) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 8''. Music of Prokofiev, Schumann, Chopin, Benjamin Lees, Albéniz, Ginastera and Gershwin. Pierian 0046 (2011) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 7''. Beethoven’s ''Diabelli Variations'', plus music of Bartók, Liszt and Prokofiev. Pierian 0045 (2011) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 6''. Music of Chopin, Ravel, Prokofiev, Buxtehude (arr. Prokofiev), Scriabin, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Rachmaninoff. Pierian 0043 (2011) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 5''. Prokofiev's ''Sonata no. 6'', plus music of Liszt, Benjamin Lees, Bartók and Chopin. Pierian 0041 (2010) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 4''. Music of Bach, Ravel, Liszt, Scriabin and Balakirev. Pierian 0038 (2009) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 3''. Beethoven "Hammerklavier", plus music of Bach, Liszt and Prokofiev. Pierian 0037 (2009) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 2''. Music of Bach-Busoni, Barber, Franck, Beethoven, Granados, Ginastera and Debussy. Pierian 0036 (2008) * ''Recital Favorites by Nissman Volume 1''. Music of Beethoven, Prokofiev, Schubert, Wagner, Liszt and Chopin. Pierian 0035 (2008) * ''Rachmaninoff by Nissman: Volume 2''. The Etudes, Op. 33, Op. 39, plus three Transcriptions. Pierian 0031 (2007) * ''Rachmaninoff by Nissman Volume 1''. The Preludes, Op. 3, No. 2; Op. 23; Op. 32. Pierian 0028 (2006) * ''Brahms by Nissman''. ''Sonata no. 2 in F# minor'', plus other works. Pierian 0027 (2005) * ''Schumann by Nissman''. ''Kreisleriana'', ''Fantasy'', plus other works. Pierian 0025 (2005) * ''Beethoven by Nissman''. Waldstein, Moonlight, and Appassionata sonatas, plus Rondo op. 129. Pierian 0020 (2003) * ''Chopin by Nissman''. ''Polonaise-Fantasy'', plus other works. (CD Pierian 0019 (2003) * ''Bartók by Nissman''. Sonata (1898), plus other works. Pierian 0016 (2003) * ''Liszt by Nissman''. ''Sonata in B minor'' and other works. Pierian 0015 (2002) * ''Alberto Ginastera—The Complete Music for Piano & Piano Chamber Ensembles''. (2-CD set) Pierian 0005/6 (reissue of Newport Classic NPD 85510 & 85511; licensed from Sony Music Entertainment) (2001) * ''Prokofiev by Nissman: The Complete Sonatas''. (3-CD set) Pierian 007/8/9 (reissue of Newport Classic NCD 6009/3/4; licensed from Sony Music Entertainment) (2001) * ''Franz Liszt: The Sonata in B minor and other works for solo piano''. Newport Classic NPD 85538 (1993) * ''Malambo- Alberto Ginastera: The Complete Music for Piano & Piano Chamber Ensembles, Volume II''. Barbara Nissman, piano; Aurora Natola-Ginastera, cello; Ruben Gonzalez, violin; The Laurentian String Quartet. Newport Classic NPD85511 (1992) * ''Criolla- Alberto Ginastera: The Complete Music for Piano & Piano Chamber Ensembles, Volume 1''. Newport Classic NPD 85510 (1991) * ''Sergei Prokofiev- Complete Piano Sonatas- Volume III''. Sonatas 9 & 10; Four Pieces, Op. 4; Toccata; Sarcasms; Visions Fugitives. (CD; analytically indexed disc) Newport Classic NCD 60094 (1989) * ''Sergei Prokofiev- Complete Piano Sonatas- Volume II''. Sonatas 6-8. (CD; analytically indexed disc) Newport Classic NCD 60093 (1989) * ''Sergei Prokofiev- Complete Piano Sonatas- Volume I''. Sonatas 1-4; both versions of No. 5. (CD; analytically indexed disc) Newport Classic NCD 60092 (1989) * ''Alberto Ginastera, Piano Music''. (LP; American release of 1981 CBS 71107 recording) Desto DC 7229 (1984) * ''Franz Liszt: 6 Paganini Etudes; 3 Concert Etudes; Rhapsodie Espagnole''. (LP) Globe Records GLOCX15003 (1982-Holland) * ''Barbara Nissman plays Ginastera''. (LP) Sonata No. 1; Danzas Argentinas; 12 American Preludes; Rondo; Danzas Criollas. CBS 71107 (1981-Holland)


References


External links

*
Three Oranges Recordings


'The Life and Work of Barbara Nissman'' doctoral dissertation by Giuliana Contreras, West Virginia University, College of Creative Arts 2018
"Bad Boy of the Keyboard – An Interview with Recording Artist Barbara Nissman"
on AdventuresInMusic.biz, 2008 * (with perf's of Bartók, Schubert, Rachmaninoff et al.) * (Nissman; RTVE S.O./James Judd) * (perf's of Scriabin and Chopin) * (BBC Television) * (A&E Television) *

October 12, 1990
1970 Berlin debut
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nissman, Barbara Living people American classical pianists American women classical pianists Musicians from Philadelphia Philadelphia High School for Girls alumni 1944 births University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Classical musicians from Pennsylvania 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century American pianists