Since Nelita True made her debut at the age of 17 with the Chicago Symphony in Orchestra Hall and her New York debut with the Juilliard Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall, her career has taken her to the major cities of Western and Eastern Europe, Indonesia, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Iceland, New Zealand, Brazil, Australia, Canada, India, Hong Kong, Singapore, as well as all fifty states in America. She was a visiting professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, performing and conducting masterclasses and has been in the People’s Republic of China more than 20 times for recitals and masterclasses.
Ms. True has been described in Clavier Companion as “One of the world’s most sought-after and beloved pianist-teachers.” Her students have won top prizes in national and international competitions, and many of her former students now serve on the faculties of major schools around the U.S. and in other countries. Formerly Distinguished Professor at the University of Maryland, Ms. True is currently Professor of Music at the Eastman School of Music. She was awarded the Certificate of Merit by the Alumni Association of the University of Michigan, the Eisenhart Award for Excellence in Teaching at Eastman, the 2002 Achievement Award from the Music Teachers’ National Association, the Lifetime Achievement Award in Graduate Education from the University of Rochester, and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Keyboard Pedagogy Conference (USA).
Ms. True has been a jury member for the China International Piano Competition (Beijing), the Queen Sonja International Piano Competition (Oslo), the National Piano Competition (Brazil), the Horowitz Competition (Kiev), the Concours de Musique (Canada), the PTNA (Tokyo), the Lev Vlassenko Competition (Australia), and the Gina Bachauer, New Orleans, Hilton Head, and William Kapell International Piano Competitions (U.S).
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan as a student of Helen Titus, Ms. True went on to Juilliard to study with Sascha Gorodnitzki, and then earned the DMA with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory. In Paris, she studied with Nadia Boulanger on a Fulbright grant.
S and H Productions of Kansas City produced a series of four videotapes, “Nelita True at Eastman,” featuring her performances, lectures, and teaching. She has been featured in articles in Clavier, Piano Today, The European Piano Teachers’ Journal, and is the subject of cover stories in Keyboard Companion and Clavier Companion.
Lecture topic: “Please, Don’t Play In Time!”
Programme
Robert Schumann: Selections from Waldszenen, Op. 82
Low Jinhong, piano
Frédéric Chopin: Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48 No. 1
Hansen, piano