Baruch Meir

President & Artistic Director

Pianist Baruch Meir has performed extensively in Austria, China, England, France, Israel, Portugal, Serbia and throughout the United States. A Bösendorfer International Concert Artist since 2003, Meir has recently presented two solo recitals at the Bösendorfer Saal in Vienna, as well as at the Bauman Auditorium in Portland (Bösendorfer Concert Series), Dixon Hall in New Orleans, Wise Auditorium in Jerusalem, Bates Hall in Austin, Murphy Hall in Los Angeles, and at the Toujours Mozart Festival in Salzburg. In 2008 he was invited by the Ministry of Education in Serbia and performed five recitals for the National Concert Season in that country (additional concerts there are scheduled for 2009). Currently an Artist/Teacher Associate Professor of Piano at Arizona State University, Meir maintains a busy teaching schedule in addition to his international concert career. In demand as master class clinician, Meir recently toured Korea's most prestigious music schools and universities including Seoul National University, Yonsei, Kookmin, Hanyang, Sunhwa, Kyoungbook and Seoul Arts High School, as well as at the Shanghai Conservatory in China and the middle-school affiliated to the conservatory (2005 & 2007), the Music Academy in Vienna (Austria), the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem (Israel), the Manhattan School of Music in NY and various conservatories and universities in the US.

A native of Israel, Meir is a summa cum laude graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music of Tel Aviv University, where he earned both bachelor and master degrees in piano performance. He holds the Artist Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London, and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from ASU. His teachers include Valter Aufheuser, Michael Bugoslavsky, Rachel Gordon, Robert Hamilton, Pnina Salzman and Irina Zaritskaya. Meir's distinctions include the American-Israel Cultural Foundation Awards, the British Council fellowship, 1st place at the Klatzkin Competition for contemporary piano music and the ASU concerto competition, and additional awards in piano competitions worldwide.

Dr. Meir is the Founder, President & Artistic Director of the Bösendorfer & Schimmel USASU International Piano Competitions where he also serves as chairman of the jury. (http://herbergerecollege.asu.edu/pianocompetition). Additionally, he served as adjudicator for various piano competitions in the US (Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, California, New York) and Israel, and in October 2008 he will serve as member of the international jury at Maria Clara Cullel Teixido international piano competition in Costa Rica.

At Arizona State University, professor Meir maintains a class of 18 outstanding pianists from all over the world. His students were awarded more than 40 prizes and awards in various competitions within the past five years, including 1st Prize at the Schimmel USASU International Piano Competition for Young Pianists, 1st Prize at the Young Concert Artist International Competition, 1st Prize at Washington International Piano Artists Competition, the Schimmel Young Artist concerto and solo competitions, Rocky Mountain International Piano Competition, MTNA Arizona, ASU concerto competition and the grand prize at the Phoenix Symphony Guild competition. Additionally, his students regularly participate in summer music festivals in the U.S. and Europe including Aspen, Adamant, Brevard, Schlern, TCU/Cliburn Institute, IIYM, Prague, New- Paltz, Wasserman, Mannes and Tel-Hai. In July 2009, Meir will join the piano faculty at Musicfest Perugia in Italy (http://www.musicfestperugia.com).

…Baruch Meir is an exceptional artist….he did a beautiful performance of my piano work entitled A LITTLE SUITE FOR CHRISTMASS which was distinguished by a deep musical insights and consummate technical skill. It was certainly one of the very finest performances this work of mine has ever received.

George Crumb, composer (1968 Pulitzer Prize in Music; 2001 Grammy award; 2004 Musical America “composer of the year”)