Jeremy Denk Announced as the Ihnatowycz Chair in Piano at The Glenn Gould School

Published on October 4, 2023

The celebrated pianist succeeds the late Leon Fleisher

“Mr. Denk, clearly, is a pianist you want to hear no matter what he performs” – The New York Times

Internationally acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk has joined The Royal Conservatory’s Glenn Gould School as the School’s new Ihnatowycz Chair in Piano. A frequent performer at Carnegie Hall, he has appeared in recent seasons with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, as well as on tour with Academy St. Martin in the Fields, and at Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms.

Mr. Denk is also a New York Times bestselling author for his 2022 memoir, Every Boy Does Fine, He wrote the libretto for a comic opera presented by Carnegie Hall, Cal Performances, and the Aspen Festival, and his writing has appeared in the New Yorker, the New Republic, The Guardian, and on the front page of the New York Times Book Review. Mr. Denk is a winner of both the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and the Avery Fisher Prize. He was also recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

I cannot think of anyone more fitting to succeed the legendary Leon Fleisher in this role and continue his legacy in representing the very highest standard of musical expression. Jeremy is an artist whose musicianship and intellectual depth I have admired for several decades. As with Leon, Jeremy is able to access and illuminate the very deepest levels of human awareness through his insightful performances which are invariably a revelation.

Dr. Peter Simon, President & CEO, The Royal Conservatory

The Ihnatowycz Chair in Piano at The Glenn Gould School nurtures the artistic development of students in the Ihnatowycz Piano Program which was established in 2013 through a transformational gift by Mr. Ian Ihnatowycz and Dr. Marta Witer, both alumni of The Royal Conservatory. The inaugural Ihnatowycz Chair in Piano was held by legendary pianist Leon Fleisher (1928-2020) and Mr. Denk is only the second artist to be named to this position. Mr. Denk's first master class as Chair will take place at The Glenn Gould School on October 20, 2023 with additional classes taking place throughout the year.

Mr. Denk is a distinguished recording artist. His recording of the Goldberg Variations for Nonesuch Records reached No. 1 on the Billboard Classical Charts. His recording of Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111 paired with Ligeti’s Études was named one of the best discs of the year by the New Yorker, NPR, and the Washington Post, and his account of the Beethoven sonata was selected by BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library as the best available version recorded on modern piano.

Jeremy is one of the most insightful and inspiring pianists on the world's concert stages today. I am very excited to welcome him to The Glenn Gould School where I know his exceptional musicianship and natural mentorship will be an ongoing source of inspiration for GGS students and faculty alike.

James Anagnoson, Dean, The Glenn Gould School

The Glenn Gould School is one of the leading post-secondary music performance training institutions in North America offering curriculum for three disciplines — Piano, Voice, and Orchestral Instruments — at three levels of study (Bachelor, Post-Bachelor and Post-Graduate). The School is now accepting applications for Fall 2024 admission.

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