Thomas Schumacher
Professor Emeritus of Piano
BIOGRAPHY
BM, Manhattan School of Music; Diploma, MS, doctoral studies, Juilliard.
Piano studies with Fisher Thompson, Robert Goldsand, Beveridge Webster, Adele Marcus. Chamber music studies with Bernard Greenhouse, Rachmael Weinstock, Raphael Hillyer, Raphael Bronstein, and Hans Letz.
Awards include Harold Bauer Award (highest honors at Manhattan), Loeb Memorial Prize (highest honors at Juilliard). Prizewinner, Busoni International Piano Competition (1962), JUGG Award Competition (1963), resulting in New York Town Hall debut recital. Maryland Creative and Performing Arts Award (1984), Distinguished Faculty Award, University of Maryland (1991).
Soloist with major orchestras including New York Philharmonic (1967 world premiere of David Diamond’s Piano Concerto), Toronto Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Warsaw Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony. Extensive tours of United States, Canada, Europe, Japan, China, and Far East.
Recordings on Elan label.
Active as recitalist, adjudicator, lecturer, and in master classes throughout United States, Canada, Italy, Sweden, Belgium, China, Taiwan, and Japan.
Publications for Zen-on Music (Japan) include study guides on Brahms, Albeniz, Rachmaninoff (expected 2006) as well as a new critical edition of Albeniz’s Iberia. Students have won prizes in major competitions.
United States representative on the board of Concours de Musique de Canada (1988); national finals jury of the Canadian Music Competition (1999). Chairman, William Kapell International Piano Competition jury (1994).
Faculty, University of Maryland (1969-95; chair of piano, 1993-95); associate artist faculty, Levine School of Music, Washington, DC (1987-95); Eastman (1995-); visiting professor, Shenyang Conservatory of Music (2002- ).