Biography of Joseph Kalichstein

About the Artist

Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music
Artistic Director, Fortas Chamber Music Concerts

In the fall of 1997 Joseph Kalichstein was appointed Artistic Advisor for Chamber Music to the Kennedy Center and Artistic Director of its Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, devoted to presentation of the world's finest chamber musicians.

Acclaimed for the heartfelt intensity and technical mastery of his playing, pianist Joseph Kalichstein enthralls audiences throughout the United States and Europe, winning equal praise as orchestral soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. During his long professional history with the Kennedy Center, Mr. Kalichstein has appeared with the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, given solo recitals, and performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, most recently under Leonard Slatkin. In his current capacity with the Kennedy Center, he has additionally played a major role in festivals devoted to Brahms, Beethoven, and the history of the piano itself.

Born in Tel Aviv, Mr. Kalichstein came to the United States in 1962. His principal teachers included Joshua Shor, Edward Steuermann and Ilona Kabos at The Juilliard School. Prior to his 1969 Leventritt Award victory, he won the Young Concert Artists Auditions. As a result, he gave a heralded New York recital debut and, at the invitation of Leonard Bernstein, performed Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with the New York Philharmonic in a nationally televised concert.

With his diverse repertoire of works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms to 20th-century works by Bartók, Prokofiev and others, Mr. Kalichstein has collaborated with celebrated conductors and appeared internationally with the world's finest symphony orchestras. He continues to play in music capitals worldwide with the famed Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson piano trio, the members of whom are resident artists of the Fortas Chamber Music Series.