Eastman School of Music, of the University of Rochester, is proud to announce a new full-time piano faculty appointment for the 2023-24 academic year: Ran Dank, Associate Professor of Piano.
“The Piano Department is very excited to welcome Ran Dank to the faculty at Eastman,” shares Piano Department Chair Alan Chow. “He is a brilliant concert artist, and we are certain his intelligent, probing and sensitive musicianship, as evidenced in his teaching and performing, will inspire his students and the entire Eastman community.”
Ran Dank
Pianist Ran Dank is one of today’s most ardent advocates for contemporary music. The Washington Post once said that he performs with “…impeccable technical surety…explosive force and triumphant exultation.” He is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Naumburg Piano Competition and the Sydney International Piano Competition. He was also the First Prize winner of the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
In recent seasons, Dank has performed Kevin Puts’ ’94E, ’99E (DMA) piano concerto Night, the Tobias Picker concerto, Keys to the City, Frederic Rzewski’s The People United Will Never Be Defeated, William Bolcom’s Pulitzer-winning set of Twelve New Etudes for Piano.
Alongside his wife, pianist Soyeon Kate Lee, Dank debuted the world premieres of Frederic Rzewski’s Four Hands, and Alexander Goehr’s Seven Impromptus, Op. 96. He and his wife have also created a concert series called “Music by the Glass,” which is held in a New York SoHo art gallery. During these performances, an audience of young professionals listen, mix and mingle with fellow solo and chamber work artists while enjoying treats and wines by the glass.
His recent concerts have included performances with the Pasadena Symphony and Keitaro Harada in April 2022, the Westchester Philharmonic and Jayce Ogren in October 2022, and the Monterey Symphony in February 2023. Ran has upcoming performances with Chautauqua in August 2023, and he is returning to Pro Musica San Miguel de Allende in March of 2024.
Of his appointment, Dank shares, “It is my honor and pleasure to join the world-class faculty and institution at the Eastman School of Music. I look forward to many years of mentoring and working with the wonderful students, and various and multi-faceted collaborations with the outstanding colleagues.”
Ran Dank is represented by Colbert Artists Management. Learn more about him by visiting his website.
Media only: Lauren Sageer, Assistant Director of Public Relations and Digital Content,
(585) 451-8492, lsageer@esm.rochester.edu
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About Eastman School of Music:
The Eastman School of Music was founded in 1921 by industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), founder of Eastman Kodak Company. It was the first professional school of the University of Rochester. Mr. Eastman’s dream was that his school would provide a broad education in the liberal arts as well as superb musical training.
More than 900 students are enrolled in the Collegiate Division of the Eastman School of Music—about 500 undergraduates and 400 graduate students. They come from almost every state, and approximately 23 percent are from other countries. They are taught by a faculty comprised of more than 130 highly regarded performers, composers, conductors, scholars, and educators. They are Pulitzer Prize winners, Grammy winners, Emmy winners, Guggenheim fellows, ASCAP Award recipients, published authors, recording artists, and acclaimed musicians who have performed in the world’s greatest concert halls. Each year, Eastman’s students, faculty members, and guest artists present more than 900 concerts to the Rochester community. Additionally, more than 1,700 members of the Rochester community, from young children through senior citizens, are enrolled in the Eastman Community Music School.
About the University of Rochester:
The University of Rochester is one of the nation’s leading private research universities, one of only 62-member institutions in the Association of American Universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives undergraduates exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College, School of Arts and Sciences, and Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences are complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, School of Medicine and Dentistry, School of Nursing, Eastman Institute for Oral Health, and the Memorial Art Gallery.