a pianist for the 21st century
david friend
BIO
David Friend is dedicated to ensuring the continued relevance of the art of the piano in contemporary culture. In his programming, his special projects, and his philosophical approach, his mission is to connect the dots between an art form with a glorious but rusting history and the digitized, post-modern society around us.
As a champion of new and experimental music, David Friend is taking piano performance in new directions. As a founding member of the TRANSIT collective, he collaborates closely with emerging composers from around the world. At the same time, he has worked with the preeminent composers of our time including Steve Reich; Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon; and Charles Wuorinen. He has performed at the world’s top venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall (London), the Chan Centre (Vancouver), the Belem Cultural Center (Lisbon), and the Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid), but also enjoys special projects at alternative venues including art galleries in NYC, Issue Project Room (NYC), the Winter Garden of the World Financial Center, Le Poisson Rouge (NYC), and the grounds of the Aspen Art Museum.
As a chamber musician, David has performed with members of the American Brass Quartet, Talujon Percussion, and the Trio Midiaeval; with members of the Metropolitan Opera, Toronto Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and American Composers orchestras; and with faculty-members of the Juilliard, Eastman, Oberlin, Cincinnati, Manahattan School of Music, Cleveland, and Glenn Gould conservatories. He has appeared with established and emerging new music groups including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Signal, Ensemble Pamplemousse, and Red Light New Music, and he was the pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble for three years. David also enjoys projects that go beyond the common stylistic or performance practices of classical music including cross-disciplinary projects with Dance Imprints, live sound installations at the Aspen Art Museum, the Corps Exquis project in NYC, creating a large scale multimedia piece for Webster Hall, and working with musicians from different traditions such as Bill Frisell (guitar innovator), Don Byron (clarinet rebel), and Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese pop icon).
To remedy what he saw as an irrational divide between young emerging composers and the culture at large, David Friend was a cofounder of the TRANSIT collective. This scrappy Brooklyn-based group programs the work of emerging composers in events that attract notably diverse audiences. A core part of the mission is to avoid advocating a particular ‘school’ or ‘style’ or engaging in musical partisanship. Rather, TRANSIT presents very new music directly to the general public in a way that highlights the relevance of art inspired by the contemporary world around us.
As a soloist, David Friend presents programs that seek to revitalize the experience of a piano recital for the 21st century. Rather than dressing up a Belle Epoque convention with modernist harmonies, he seeks out composers who are rethinking the vitality of the piano recital format and experimenting with new concepts in sound, technology, and performance practice. A core goal remains David’s dedication to making new and contemporary music meaningful and relevant to audiences today. Creative programming, vocal remarks, and question and answer sessions are strategically employed to further engage the audience, and he also teaches a workshop for college pianists delving into the innovative history of American pianism.
David Friend was raised in the small city of Lake Charles in coastal Louisiana, a region renowned for its rich cultural and natural beauty. He moved to NYC to study with Phillip Kawin at the Manhattan School of Music and continues to be based in the city.
BIO (300 words)
David Friend is dedicated to ensuring the continued relevance of the art of the piano in contemporary culture. In his programming, his special projects, and his philosophical approach, his mission is to connect the dots between an art form with a glorious but rusting history and the digitized, post-modern society around us.
As a champion of new and experimental music, David Friend is taking piano performance in new directions. He has worked with the preeminent composers of our time (Steve Reich, Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Charles Wuorinen) and has performed at the world’s top venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall (London), the Chan Centre (Vancouver), the Belem Cultural Center (Lisbon) and the Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid). As a founding member of the TRANSIT collective, he also collaborates closely with emerging composers from around the world.
David has performed with respected new music groups including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Signal, Ensemble Pamplemousse, Red Light New Music, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble. He also enjoys projects that go beyond the common stylistic or performance practices of classical music including cross-disciplinary projects with Dance Imprints, live sound installations at the Aspen Art Museum, the Corps Exquis project in NYC, and working with musicians from different traditions such as Bill Frisell (guitar innovator), Don Byron (clarinet rebel), and Ryuichi Sakamoto (Japanese pop icon).
As a soloist, David Friend presents programs that seek to revitalize the experience of a piano recital for the 21st century. Rather than dressing up a Belle Epoque convention with modernist harmonies, he seeks out composers who are rethinking the vitality of the piano recital format and experimenting with new concepts in sound, technology, and performance practice. A core goal remains David’s dedication to making new and contemporary music meaningful and relevant to audiences today.
BIO (150 words)
David Friend is dedicated to ensuring the continued relevance of the art of the piano in contemporary culture.
As a champion of new and experimental music he has worked with the preeminent composers of our time (Steve Reich, David Lang, Charles Wuorinen), and also collaborates closely with emerging composers from around the world through his work with the TRANSIT collective. He has performed at top venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall (London), the Chan Centre (Vancouver), and Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid); and worked with ensembles including the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Signal, Ensemble Pamplemousse, and the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble.
As a soloist, David Friend presents programs that seek to revitalize the experience of a piano recital for the 21st century, and he seeks out composers who are re-imagining the vitality of the piano by experimenting with new concepts in sound, technology, and performance practice.
BIO (75 words)
David Friend is dedicated to ensuring the continued relevance of the art of the piano in contemporary culture. As a champion of new and experimental music, he has performed at top venues including Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall (London), and the Reina Sofia Museum (Madrid). As a soloist, he presents programs that seek to revitalize the experience of a piano recital for the 21st century.