SCOTT HOLDEN

| SOLO PIANIST | PEDAGOGUE | COLLABORATOR | PUBLISHED AUTHOR |

“Scott Holden plays with obvious commitment…and limpid lyricism…he tackles the keyboard acrobatics fearlessly,” writes Fanfare Magazine. Commitment, lyricism, and fearless acrobatics characterize Holden’s career.   A solo pianist, champion collaborator, devoted teacher and adjudicator, Scott Holden’s dedication to the art and study of pianism is prevalent across the scope of his work.

Holden debuted in Carnegie Hall after winning first prize in the 1996 Leschetizky New York Debut Piano Competition. He has performed in over forty states (including at The Kennedy Center and Alice Tully Hall), Canada, Mexico, England, Russia (Svetlanov Hall), throughout Europe, and in multiple Asian countries including China, Singapore, and Vietnam.   He has been broadcast on NPR, NBC, CBC, as well as numerous local networks.  His enthusiastic support of contemporary music has led to a variety of premieres, including William Wallace’s Second Piano Concerto with Keith Lockhart and the Utah Symphony of which The Salt Lake Tribune wrote, “Mr. Holden secured the stage in a virtuosic performance…We were torn between examining every new note passing by our ears, and Holden’s pianistic acrobatics.  It was a wonderful dilemma.”  Holden will return to Carnegie Hall to play a solo recital in June 2018, featuring multiple world premieres. Holden has recorded for Parma, Bridge, Tantara and NAXOS Records. His most recent CD, Beyond Vernon Duke, was given the highest five-star rating and received praise, “Holden exhibits profoundly musical readings with obvious commitment and great attention to detail.”

A sought-after pedagogue, Holden’s students have been prizewinners in numerous competitions, including top prizes at MTNA and Gina Bachauer.  His students are regularly accepted to the leading graduate programs in the nation.  He travels extensively to adjudicate and give master classes at festivals and pedagogy workshops around the world and has contributed to various publications, including both volumes of “The Pianist’s Craft” which has been published domestically and, more recently, in China.

Holden holds degrees from the University of Michigan (BM), The Juilliard School (MM), and The Manhattan School of Music (DMA).  He studied at The Liszt Academy in Budapest as a Fulbright Scholar.  Major teachers have included Arkady Aronov, Martin Canin, Charles Fisher, Arthur Greene, András Kemenes, Nina Lelchuk, and Ferenc Rados. He currently chairs the Keyboard Studies department at Brigham Young University and is a faculty member at Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard in Geneva, Switzerland.

Holden lives in the mountains of Utah with his wife and four children. When not at the piano, he can be found cycling, building things with wood, and adventuring among the red rocks of the Southwest.