Pianist Thomas Rosenkranz will perform a concert for his home town at St. Andrew’ in the Pines Episcopal Church on April 15.

Rosenkranz began his serious studies of piano at the La Forge Music Store in Peachtree City with his piano teacher Inna Satunovsky while he was a student at McIntosh High School. During his high school years Rosenkranz successfully participated in numerous auditions and competitions and won the first places in Kiwanis State Competitions three consecutive times. During his senior school year at McIntosh High School, he studied piano with Virginia Hutchings of Atlanta, who introduced him to Oberlin College, where he attended after his graduation from high school in 1995.

Rosenkranz completed his bachelor's degree at the Oberlin Conservatory where he studied under Robert Shannon and was the national winner at the 1999 Collegiate Artist Piano Competition.

Rosenkranz earned his master's and doctorate degrees from the Eastman School of Music where he studied with and was teaching assistant to Nelita True. In 2003 he was awarded the prestigious Classical Fellowship Award from the American Pianists Association and since then has performed throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Africa including performances at Lincoln Center (New York), the Kennedy Center (D.C.), Hilbert Circle Theatre (Indianapolis), Poly Theatre (Beijing), National Concert Hall (Shanghai), L'Acropolium (Carthage), and Theatre de la Ville (Tunis).

He pursued further studies in Paris where he studied with Yvonne Loriod-Messiaen.

Rosenkranz is a pianist possessing extreme versatility ranging from classical music to experimental improvisation. He has twice been named an Artist Ambassador sponsored by the State Department of the United States and has toured North Africa and the Middle East promoting American Music.

He has performed as a soloist with the Indianapolis Symphony, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, National Orchestra of Beirut, the Oberlin Orchestra, and the Northwest Chamber Orchestra. He has collaborated with the Pacifica Quartet and recorded the music of Steve Reich with the ensemble, Alarm Will Sound for Nonesuch Records. He is a strong advocate for contemporary music and has worked with such notable composers as John Adams, George Crumb, and Frederic Rzewski.

Emerging composers such as Beata Moon, Hyekyung Lee, Marcela Pavia and Donald Reid Womack have all dedicated pieces to him.

Recent highlights include performances of "The People United Will Never Be Defeated!" and "De Profundis" by Rzewski as well as the "Concord Sonata" by Ives throughout the United States and Italy. In celebration of the centenary of the birth of Olivier Messiaen, he will tour the complete cycle of "Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus" in 2008.

In addition to his work in classical music, Rosenkranz is also involved in various cross-cultural projects. He currently serves as Artistic Advisor and ensemble member for the Tunis-based ensemble, Le Minaret ET la Tour which consists of Western and Arabic musicians. This ensemble has been presented in numerous festivals in Tunisia including the Tabarka Jazz Festival, Festival of the Medina, and the International Festival of Carthage where they performed with the Vienna Opera Orchestra under the baton of Uwe Theimer. He also collaborates frequently with the improvisational ensemble, Inward Becomes an Anthem.

Previous to his appointment at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, he served as Affiliate Artist at Syracuse University. He is currently Director of Keyboard and is the current President of the Honolulu Piano Teachers Association.

On Sunday, April 15 at 3 p.m., Thomas Rosenkranz will perform music of C. Ives, A. Scriabin and other composers at the St. Andrew’s in the Pines Episcopal Church, 316 N. Peachtree Parkway, Peachtree City. Donations will be accepted at the door.

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