J A C Q U E S  D E S P R É S, piano (C A N A D A)

Widely acclaimed pianist JACQUES DESPRÉS has dazzled audiences for over three decades in his native Canada and the U.S. with his sensitive yet powerful style and sympathetic interpretations of a broad range of composers. Respected American critic Leslie Gerber took notice of this versatility by writing, "Few major pianists have given equally convincing performances of Beethoven and Chopin. The ability to play one composer's music very well seems almost to preclude doing as well with the other. But Després proved an exception to this rule...He immediately showed that he is a Bartok player after the composer's own heart." Since his debut with the Montréal Symphony Orchestra in 1978, Dr. Després has appeared as soloist with many other symphony orchestras under the baton of conductors including Otto-Werner Muller, Franz-Paul Decker, Jens Nygaard and Simon Streatfield He also shared the stage, in gala concerts, with internationally renowned pianists Radu Lupu, Lazar Berman, Ilana Vered, David Owen Norris, and Nicolai Petrov. Dr. Després' tours have included numerous recitals in Canada aired on CBC radio, and performances at summer festivals in North America. Dr. Després has established a solid reputation as a leading lecture-performance artist on both period and modern instruments. He was invited to speak on the Chopin Ballades at the Juilliard School, the early sonatas of Beethoven at the yearly Friends of the Arts Beethoven Festival on Long Island and the Bartök Mikrokosmos at Vanderbilt University. He also performed in many of the most important American universities, notably Dartmouth College, Northwestern University, Oregon State University, the University of Washingon and St-Olaf College, to name but a few. The long list of Dr. Després’ prestigious awards includes The Frank Kopp Memorial Prize at the University of Maryland International Piano Competition, First Prize at the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition, and the Musical Academy of Quebec "Prix d'Europe" competition. He is also the recipient of numerous grants from the Juilliard School, the Quebec ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs, and the Canada Council. Dr. Després completed his doctorate at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and holds a Masters degree from the Juilliard School. He received with High Distinction the Artist Diploma from Indiana University, and was awarded a unanimous first prize from the Conservatory of Quebec, which invited him to perform recitals commemorating the school's 40th and 50th anniversaries. He studied under many of the great masters including György Sebök, Gilbert Kalish, Adele Marcus, William Masselos and Christiane Sénart. Dr. Després has taught at Western Washington University and in the fall 2000, joined the Music Department of the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He has recorded for the Eroica, VDE/Gallo, Naxos, and Arktos CD labels.