Daniel Epstein (born 1946) is an American

pianist A pianist ( , ) is an individual musician who plays the piano. Since most forms of Western music can make use of the piano, pianists have a wide repertoire and a wide variety of styles to choose from, among them traditional classical music, ja ...

Life

A graduate of the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...

, Epstein received international recognition when the conductor,

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 ...

, invited him to perform with 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 ...

in 1973. Later that year, in the wake of President

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's visit to the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and at the insistence of the American government, Ormandy and the Philadelphia became the first American

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

to tour China. Ormandy chose Epstein to accompany him on this cultural mission. Before their departure, in an appearance at

Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...

, Epstein gave the American premiere of

Yin Chengzong Yin Chengzong (, Hokkien: ''Un Seng Chong'') (born 1941 in Gulangyu Island, Xiamen, Fujian) is a Chinese pianist and composer. Biography Born on the "Piano Island" of Gulangyu Island in Xiamen, Fujian, in the People's Republic of China. Altho ...

's arrangement of the ''

Yellow River Piano Concerto The ''Yellow River Piano Concerto'' () is a piano concerto arranged by a collaboration between Chinese composers, including Yin Chengzong and Chu Wanghua, and based on the ''Yellow River Cantata'' by composer Xian Xinghai. It was originally direc ...

'', one of the works which the Chinese had requested the Americans to play later on tour. In doing so, Epstein contributed to the first American performance of music from the pen of a Chinese composer working in the Western classical tradition. They received a very positive reception in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. On their return from China, Epstein teamed up with Ormandy and the orchestra again to record the concerto on an

LP album The LP (from "long playing" or "long play") is an analog sound storage medium, a phonograph record format characterized by: a speed of rpm; a 12- or 10-inch (30- or 25-cm) diameter; use of the "microgroove" groove specification; and a ...

. In 1976, Epstein founded the Raphael Trio, with which he has performed virtually the entire

piano trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in classical chamber music. The term can also refer to a group of musi ...

repertoire in the three decades of the ensemble's existence. He regularly appears as a guest soloist with symphony orchestras and has collected such honors as the Kosciuszko Chopin Award, the National Arts Club Prize, the Prix Alex de Vries in Paris, and the

Concert Artists Guild The Concert Artists Guild is an American musical institution, based in New York City and established in 1951. It is dedicated to discovering and nurturing musical talent, and helping musicians start careers. It provides scholarships and grants, and ...

Award. Since 1997, Epstein has taught

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small numb ...

, and

music history Music history, sometimes called historical musicology, is a highly diverse subfield of the broader discipline of musicology that studies music from a historical point of view. In theory, "music history" could refer to the study of the history o ...

at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...

and, in 2001, was appointed to the piano faculty. He is also head of the piano faculty at Rutgers University

References

External links

*
Performance history of the ''Yellow River Piano Concerto''Faculty biography from the Manhattan School of MusicRaphael Trio
John Gingrich Management, Inc. {{DEFAULTSORT:Epstein, Daniel 1946 births Living people Jewish classical musicians Manhattan School of Music faculty 20th-century American pianists American male pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Juilliard School alumni Rutgers University faculty