Gilbert Kalish

Gilbert Kalish, piano (New York, NY), has had a profound influence on the musical community as educator and as pianist in myriad performances and recordings, establishing himself as a major figure in American music making. Gil was the pianist of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for 30 years and was a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a group devoted to new music that flourished during the 1960s and 70s. His 30-year partnership with the mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani was universally recognized as one of the most remarkable artistic collaborations of our time. Gil is a recipient of the Paul Fromm Award, presented to him in 1995 by the University of Chicago for his distinguished service to the music of our time, and in 2006 was awarded the Peabody Medal by the Peabody Institute for his outstanding contributions to music in America. In that same year, he became a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Gil is a Distinguished Professor and Head of Performance Activities at SUNY- Stony Brook. From 1969 to 1997, he was a faculty member of the Tanglewood Music Center and served as “Chairman of the Faculty” at Tanglewood from 1985 to 1997. In addition to being a longtime faculty member at Yellow Barn, Gil often serves as a guest artist at The Banff Centre, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, Marlboro, and Music@Menlo. Gil’s discography encompasses classical repertory, 20th-century masterworks, and new compositions. Of special note are his solo recordings of Charles Ives’s Concord Sonata and the sonatas of Joseph Haydn, as well as an immense discography of vocal music with Jan DeGaetani and landmarks of the 20th Century by such composers as Elliott Carter, George Crumb, Ralph Shapey, and Arnold Schoenberg. Previous Yellow Barn musician (since 1999)