Thomas Otten

Pianist Thomas Otten (Associate Professor), a California native born of German-American parents, has been hailed by the New York Times as “an extremely original player who puts a formidable technique at the service of his ideas.” He made his debut at age seventeen with the National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center, and has since developed a global profile, performing in Australia, Europe, the Caribbean, and throughout the U.S. He has appeared in such venues as the Gasteig (Munich, Germany), St. Petersburg Conservatory (Russia), Teatro Nacional (Santo Domino, Dominican Republic), Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the National Press Club, the German Embassy, and as concerto soloist at the Chautauqua and Brevard Summer Festivals. His performances have been broadcast on both coasts, including WQXR New York, WGMS Washington, and KUSC Los Angeles.

Otten has been the recipient of numerous national and international prizes. A student of master teachers John Perry, Nelita True, and Barbara Lister-Sink, he holds performance degrees from the University of Southern California (DMA, MM) and the University of Maryland, College Park (BM, summa cum laude). He has been on the faculties of the Saarburger Serenaden International Music Festival (Germany), the American Institute of Musical Studies (Austria), and the Kent/Blossom Festival in Ohio. He currently chairs the piano area at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he joined the faculty in 2002. His debut CD, Tristan und Isolde: Piano Transcriptions of Franz Liszt, was released by MSR Classics in 2005. He recently released a premiere recording of Leslie Adams’ Piano Etudes, Part II on Albany Records.