New England Conservatory of Music Announces New Pianists 

Its piano faculty now includes Jonathan Biss and Marc-André Hamelin

Biss and Hamelin both have one-year appointments, effective as of the 2021 academic year.

Jonathan Biss is the Mildred Levinson Piano Artist-in-Residence and in 2018, was named co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music Festival. He joins his parents, violinists Miriam Fried and Paul Biss, on the New England Conservatory (NEC) faculty.

A graduate of the Curtis Institute, Biss studied with Leon Fleisher and currently leads an open online course, MOOC, reaching over 150,000 people internationally. 

An exclusive recording artist for Hyperion Records, pianist Marc André Hamelin’s discography involves over 60 recordings featuring concertos and works for solo piano from composers like Alkan, Godowsky, Medtner, and Brahms, Chopin, Liszt, Schumann, and Shostakovich. 

In 2014, Hamelin was awarded the ECHO Klassik Instrumentalist of Year and Disc of the Year by Diapason Magazine and Classica Magazine for his album “Busoni: Late Piano Music.” His album “Hamelin: Études” also received a 2010 Grammy nomination and first prize from the German Record Critics' Association.

“Jonathan and Mark-André are two of the towering pianists of our time, each of whom exemplifies the cross-section of extraordinary technical skill and probing, insightful artistry,” said Benjamin Sosland, Provost and Dean of Faculty at NEC, in the press release.

“It is an exceptional honour to welcome them to our community, where they will inspire our students and build on NEC's legacy of pianistic excellence.”