Since 1999, Jeffrey Biegel has commissioned ten composers to expand the repertoire of piano and orchestra. His visionary approach to new music led to a Grammy-winning performance as the soloist in Kenneth Fuchs's Piano Concerto: "Spiritualist", recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra under JoAnn Falletta.
Recognized as one of the most prolific artists of his generation, Mr. Biegel was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Moravian College for his achievements in performance, recordings, chamber music, composition, and education. Among his many premieres, he introduced Giovanni Allevi's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with Orchestra Kentucky and in Milan's Teatro dal Verme, and gave the first performance of Christopher Theofanidis's Concerto No. 2 for Piano and Orchestra with the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. In 2019, he premiered Grammy-winning composer Dick Tunney’s Peanuts Concerto, inspired by Vince Guaraldi’s music, with Orchestra Kentucky.
A champion of both classical and popular music, Mr. Biegel has brought Jimmy Webb’s Nocturne for Piano and Orchestra and Peter Schickele’s PDQ Bach Concerto for Simply Grand Piano and Orchestra to the concert stage. His label, Naturally Sharp, launched its first solo digital recording in 2019, and in 2020, he premiered Jim Stephenson’s WaterConcerto, exploring its life-sustaining and destructive forces.
A pioneer in concerto commissioning, Mr. Biegel spearheaded one of the largest consortium projects in 1998, premiering works such as Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Millennium Fantasy (Cincinnati Symphony, 2000), Charles Strouse’s Concerto America (Boston Pops, 2002), Lowell Liebermann’s Concerto No. 3, Op. 95 (Milwaukee Symphony, 2006), William Bolcom’s Prometheus (Pacific Symphony, 2010), and Jake Runestad’s Dreams of the Fallen (Louisiana Philharmonic, 2013), among many others.
An avid composer, Mr. Biegel's choral works are published by Hal Leonard, Carl Fischer, Porfiri & Horvath, and The LeDor Group. His career was launched by Leonard Bernstein’s praise: "He played fantastic Liszt. He is a splendid musician and a brilliant performer." A graduate of The Juilliard School, where he studied with Adele Marcus, he is currently on the faculty of Brooklyn College’s Conservatory of Music (CUNY).
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