To have my 25th anniversary coincide with the 100 year celebration of Leonard Bernstein’s birth is special for me personally, because of the unique opportunities I had to work with this great American musician. The first half of the concert celebrates Lenny the composer, culminating in the first performance by the MSO of his second symphony, Age of Anxiety, which has a dazzling and at times jazzy part for the piano, and carries with it still, a timely social statement. Christopher Taylor, a Madison favorite with whom I have often enjoyed collaborating, will perform the challenging and exciting piano part. The second half of the concert pays tribute to Lenny the conductor, and his life-long love of Beethoven. Symphony No. 7 was the last piece Lenny conducted. I thought it would be the perfect way to celebrate Lenny and his great contribution to American musical life.  – John DeMain

About Christopher Taylor

In recent seasons, Christopher Taylor has concertized around the globe, performing throughout Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. At home in the USA, he has appeared with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Boston Pops Orchestra, and has toured with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist he has performed in New York’s Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls, Washington’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Ravinia and Aspen festivals, and dozens of other venues.

In 1990 Mr. Taylor took first prize in the William Kapell International Piano Competition, and also became one of the first recipients of the Irving Gilmore Young Artists’ Award. He received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1996 and the Bronze Medal in the 1993 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, where he was the first American to receive such high recognition in twelve years. He was named an American Pianists’ Association Fellow for 2000.

In addition to his busy concert schedule, Taylor currently serves as Paul Collins Associate Professor of Piano Performance at the Mead Witter School of Music — University of Wisconsin–Madison.

“Leonard Bernstein [was] one of the most prodigally talented and successful musicians in American history.”  – The New York Times

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