Concert Pianist
Biography
Hailed as a “heroic virtuoso,”” and “a dazzling performer,” Mark Salman's performances have been described as “powerful,” “astonishing, exacting and evocative,” “dramatic,” “wildly imaginative” and “touchingly lyrical.” Of his performance of Beethoven's Hammerklavier sonata one authority stated, “there are probably only five or six pianists in the world who can play [it] as perfectly.” His performance of Liszt’s transcription of the Beethoven Seventh Symphony was named one of three “Performances of the Year” by the Seattle Weekly.
Mr. Salman’s performances have taken him to Europe, Asia, Canada and throughout the United States. He has performed in Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall in New York City, has been the subject of profiles in The New York Times and has been featured in numerous radio and television broadcasts in the U.S., Europe and in China. His account of his meetings with and playing for Vladimir Horowitz appears in David Dubal's book, Evenings with Horowitz. Mr. Salman was a co-founder of the Delmarva Piano Festival in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which ran for seventeen seasons.
His performances have included his debut at the Newport Music Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, an eight recital series devoted to the works of Franz Liszt in Seattle, three recitals featuring Schubert’s final three sonatas, a complete cycle of Beethoven’s five piano concertos and Choral Fantasy with Orchestra Seattle, A Chopin Celebration, a series of three recitals celebrating the 200th anniversary of Chopin’s birth, and five recitals in honor of Liszt’s 200th birthday. In 2016, he performed Busoni's Fantasia Contrappuntistica in New York at the celebration of Busoni's 150th birthday, sponsored by the Busoni society. Mr. Salman is regularly heard as a concerto soloist with northwest orchestras, having performed over 30 different concertos with orchestra. In 2018, he gave the first Northwest performance of Busoni's rarely heard Indian Fantasy for piano and orchestra in Seattle. As a chamber musician, he appears regularly with Simple Measures. Mr. Salman is a Steinway Artist. He is on the faculty of the Seattle Conservatory of Music.
Besides his wide–ranging repertoire, Mr. Salman is perhaps best known for his expertise on Beethoven, having performed the complete cycle of the thirty-two piano sonatas on both coasts as well as in 18 broadcasts on KING–FM in Seattle. Two volumes of Beethoven and his 32 Piano Sonatas — A Musical Universe, a video series featuring Mr. Salman’s performances of the sonatas, hosted by the noted author and commentator, David Dubal, have been released on the on the Great Composers label.
Mr. Salman's recordings include his newest release, Schubert Late Sonatas, two all–Chopin CDs, including Chopin’s Intimate Art: The Mazurkas, Mozart’s Piano Concertos K. 488 and K. 503 with the Northwest Sinfonietta, The Transcendental Piano, featuring works by Alkan, Beethoven and Liszt, two DVDs in the series Beethoven and his 32 Piano Sonatas — A Musical Universe, as well as American Interweave, featuring contemporary American works for cello and piano. Also available in limited release are the first four live performances from his 2004–2005 Liszt Series and his Beethoven concerto performances with Orchestra Seattle.
Mr. Salman is a native of Connecticut, where he began his studies at the age of eight and made his recital debut at eleven. A graduate of The Juilliard School, he studied with Richard Fabre and Josef Raieff. He previously attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for two years, where he concentrated on chamber music and composition, studying with the noted composer, John Harbison.
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