Biography
 The New York Times
has described pianist Eric Himy's playing "flawlessly poised, elegant and
brilliant." His compelling artistry has intrigued audiences around the world.
His technique has been compared recently by the 2007 Revue
Musicale de Suisse Romande to that of the legendary pianist Vladimir
Horowitz and called him " a sensual gourmand of sound." He has played to
critical acclaim in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Chile, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Malta,
Monaco, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, and Slovenia. Mr. Himy has
been heard most notably at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Recital
Hall, The Frick Collection, The Phillips Collection, Salle Cortot and Salle
Gaveau in Paris and on NPR "Performance Today." Following an
all-Ravel concert The Washington Post wrote: "Enchanting his audience
with an inspiring recital, Mr. Himy matched the sense of sophistication,
boldness and unequaled genius inherent in Ravels music and left no doubt
of his musical prowess." His Ravel recitals in France prompted one critic to
write: " his dazzling vision equaled and at times even surpassed some more
famous interpretations ( Argerich, François..)."
 A Juilliard graduate, Mr. Himy
began piano studies at age six, giving his first concert when he was 10. He was
guest soloist with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at age 15, going on to win
numerous competitions and awards including the Gold Medal at the 1988 World
Piano Competition in Cincinnati, the Kosciuszko Chopin Prize in New
York, and top honors in the 1991 Milosz Magin International Competition
in Paris.
His recordings include an
all-Ravel CD for Ivory Classics about which the BBC Music Magazine April
2003 wrote: "If you want Ravel's two big piano cycles, Miroirs and Gaspard de
la Nuit, on one disc, I have no hesitation in recommending this. As for the
Miroirs, I have never heard the five pieces done better " and Paul Turok of the
New York Times wrote: "Pianist Eric Himy's name is hardly a household word
among music lovers, but if he plays other composers as well as he plays Ravel,
it deserves to be." He also recorded the Rhapsody in Blue in an all-Gershwin CD
which features brilliant Gershwin transcriptions of his own and those of Earl
Wild. Classics Today 2005 wrote: "There's no denying Himy's virtuosic flair,
this is a fascinating disc."
 Two CDs of Mozart and
Schumann (picked by BBC Music Magazine as CD of the
month: December 2007) were released in 2006 on the Centaur label. Two more CDs
of Debussy and Liszt, recorded on the exclusive Steingraeber & Sohne piano,
were released in Fall 2008. Classics Today 2009 wrote: "Himy's big, luscious
sonority and splendid ear for tone color suit Debussy's keyboard aesthetic to
perfection with marvelous textural control in his effective transcription of
the Prélude à l'après-midi d'une faune and the
other selections are intriguingly spacious, luxuriant, and soft-grained.
Himy's Liszt CD is also highly praised by the same American Record Guide
critic (March/April 2009): "shows an artist willing to avoid the ordinary."
Himy studied biochemistry and music
at the University of Maryland, and received a Master of Music degree from the
Juilliard School in New York, having studied with Thomas Schumacher, Adele
Marcus and Josef Villa. He was featured on the cover of the 2006 May/June
issue of Clavier and in Musical Opinion May/June 2007. For the 06-07,
'07-08 seasons he performed more than 70 concerts worldwide including Morocco
where he performed two concerts and was seen on National TV. Mr. Himy was
invited by the Bernstein family to celebrate the 90th anniversary
tribute to Leonard Bernstein in a Gala concert at the 2008 Lukas Foss
Music Festival in the Hamptons.
 In 2010, Mr Himy celebrated
Chopins 200th Anniversary by performing more than 40 concerts
worldwide including an appearance on MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) where he
was interviewed by Steve Staruch and performed a live Chopin recital. He
also gave several performances of the Chopin Piano Concerto no. 1, one notably
at the 2010 Marienbad Chopin Festival in the Czech Republic, and made his debut
at the Bayreuth Steingraeber Festival in Germany. Last year, Mr. Himy recorded
an all-Chopin CD and a Gershwin in Paris DVD. In 2011,
Mr Himy celebrated Liszt’s 200th Anniversary and performance highlights were at
the prestigious Teatru Manoel in Malta and at the Salle Molière in Lyons, France
and Carnegie Hall, NY. He has recorded 14 CDs.
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