His next recital is Saturday, Feb 11 at Strathmore, North Bethesda, MD. Program here:

Brian Ganz - Chopin

I've got my ticket! Know about him since he was a high school student in Columbia, MD. All involved with music there knew he was exceptional.

I'll give this a bump. Brian was a classmate of mine at Peabody, and I have produced a couple of recordings with him. He is currently major faculty at Peabody. Brian brings a level of commitment to his playing that is to say the least, quite rare.
Brian Ganz is a true artist. I encourage anyone who can go to go!

Hi, Keith --

I just got home after attending a master class Brian gave at Strathmore Music Center in Bethesda. He's an unbelieveable teacher; in 30 minute sessions with four very good teenage players, he made each one of them better by showing them new ways to approach music that they knew (or thought they knew) like the backs of their hands. It was amazing to watch. At the end of their sessions with him, each of the kids played their pieces noticeably better. More importantly, he taught each of them new ways to think about music and good practice techniques that will help them become better pianists down the road.

After the class was over, he played the Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, which will be the concluding work on his February 11 all-Chopin recital at Strathmore. It was, in a word, spell-binding. As I told Brian afterward, I heard Rubinstein play the piece years ago, and I thought Brian's performance was better. There still seem to be seats available for the recital. If you're in or anywhere near the DC area, try hard to get there. You won't regret it.

What I neglected to mention in my original post was my experience playing in one of Brian's masterclasses. He immediately focused on two of my (many) weaknesses - polyrhythms and dynamic balance. Within minutes I improved and, building on that I now consider myself to be at least adequate with both. Truly a gifted teacher as well as a great pianist.

When I asked him about his teaching and if he considered it to be a distraction from his performance preparation, he told me that he could not imagine giving up teaching. Contrasts sharply with a researcher at a major university who told me "I consider teaching an infringement upon my research time".

This is irrelevant and off topic, but does anyone here know whether he is in any way related to the great Swiss pianist Rudolf Ganz, who died in Chicago at age 95 in 1972?

Thought I'd bump this. Here is Brian Ganz's program for tomorrow night:

All Chopin
Fantaisie in F Minor, Op. 49
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C# Minor, Op. 66
Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-Flat Major, Op. 61
Impromptu No. 2 in F Sharp Major, Op. 36
Four Mazurkas, Op. 6
Two Polonaises, Op. 40
Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 42
Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise Brillante in E-Flat Major, Op. 22