Siegel, Jeffrey
Born in Chicago and raised at 3004 W. Jarlath Street in West Ridge, the distinguished American pianist Jeffrey Siegel has been soloist with the world's great orchestras.
Abroad, these include the Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Philharmonia Orchestra, Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Residentie Orchestra, Oslo Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of La Scala, and NHK Symphony Orchestra of Japan.
In the United States, engagements include the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Mr. Siegel has collaborated with many of the pre-eminent conductors of our time: Claudio Abbado, Pierre Boulez, Charles Dutoit, Neeme Järvi, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Zubin Mehta, Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and David Zinman, as well as legendary maestros of the past, including Eugene Ormandy, Sir George Solti, William Steinberg, Klaus Tennstedt, and Yevgeny Svetlanov.
In addition to his solo appearances, Jeffrey Siegel presents Keyboard Conversations®, a unique, concert-plus-commentary format in which he speaks to the audience about the music before performing each work in its entirety. Newcomers to classical concerts have greeted these programs enthusiastically, as they present an informal, accessible, and highly entertaining introduction to the vast repertoire of the piano and to classical music in general. Mr. Siegel has also developed a following among seasoned music-lovers, who are constantly enlightened by his erudition and delighted by his wit. Ongoing series flourish in numerous American cities, among them New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Phoenix, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Dallas, Washingt|on, D.C., and Denver. Some of these venues have been presenting Keyboard Conversations® for more than thirty years - resounding testimony to Jeffrey Siegel's superb artistry, innovative format and loyal fans. Following the successful reception of Keyboard Conversations in the United Kingdom last season, Keyboard Conversations continue in 2010-2011 at London’s dynamic, newest arts complex, Kings Place.
Listeners to Oprah Radio’s “Dr. Oz Show” recently heard Mr. Siegel in an interview and performance dedicated to the joys of music, as the guest of host and heart surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz and popular author and co-host Dr. Michael Roizen. Random House Audio Publishing Group has released an audiobook series of four CDs of Keyboard Conversations: Mozart and Friends, The Power and Passion of Beethoven, The Romanticism of the Russian Soul, and The Romance of the Piano. They are available at Random House Audio, at Amazon.com, for download at iTunes, and at booksellers across the country. Twin Cities Public Television, in conjunction with The Schubert Club, has produced two half-hour Keyboard Conversations - Mozart & Chopin - available on DVD exclusively at Mr. Siegel's concerts. Jeffrey Siegel's recording of Gershwin's complete works for piano and orchestra with Leonard Slatkin and the Saint Louis Symphony continues to be a best-seller, and is available on Amazon as well.
Born into a musical family, (his father, Harold Siegel was a professional musician and teacher) Jeffrey Siegel studied with Rudolf Ganz in his native Chicago, with the legendary Rosina Lhévinne at The Juilliard School and, as a Fulbright Scholar, with Ilona Kabos in London. Mr. Siegel and his wife live in New York City and are the parents of two grown children.
Jeffrey Siegel is a Steinway artist.