Ursula Oppens

Ursula Oppens ( born February 2, 1944 in New York) is an American classical pianist.

Ursula Oppens received his first piano lessons from her mother, Edith Oppens, a pupil of Anton Webern. Then she was taught by Leonard Shure, Guido Agosti and Rosina Lhévinne before she attended Radcliffe College, where she studied English literature and economics. Then she returned to the Juilliard School to perfect her piano playing at Lhevinne. In 1969 she made ​​her debut at Carnegie Recital Hall.

Oppens not only as an interpreter of the "standard" repertoire an excellent reputation, but also as an interpreter of contemporary music. Example, it has works by composers such as Luciano Berio, Elliott Carter, György Ligeti, Witold Lutoslawski, Conlon Nancarrow, Christian Wolff, Frederic Rzewski, John Harbison, Joan Tower, Tania Leon, Tobias Picker and Charles Wuorinen, but also by Anthony Braxton, Marty Ehrlich and Julius Hemphill premiered. has played with many of the leading orchestras of the world. Moreover, she has also appeared as an improviser (including with Derek Bailey, Phil Wachsmann and Julie Tippett ).

From 1994 to Ursula Oppens was Professor of Music at Northwestern University in Evanston (Illinois ). Since 2008 she is professor of Music at Brooklyn College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Awards and prizes

In 1969 she won first prize at the " Busoni International Piano Competition ", in 1970 she received an honorary diploma from the Accademia Chigiana. 1976 she was awarded the Avery Fisher Career Grant. Their album with Frederic Rzewski The People United Shall Never Be Defeated in 1979 for a Grammy. nominated and Record World awarded " Record of the Year " the album American Piano Music of Our Time received a Grammy Nomination Next it was for Oppens Plays Carter in 2010 and for Winging It -. Piano Music of John Corigliano 2012 for a Grammy nominated in categories for classical instrumental solos.