Ursula Oppens

Ursula Oppens (born February 2, 1944 in New York City) is an American classical pianist.

Biography

After earning her master's degree from the Juilliard School of Music, Oppens won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1968. This win led to her New York City debut at Carnegie Hall in 1969. That same year, she took first prize at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. In 1971, Oppens co-founded the contemporary music ensemble Speculum Musicae. She was one of the first pianists to test the boundaries of traditional concert programming, by performing both classics and contemporary pieces. One of the foremost champions of new music, several modern composers praise her for her invaluable encouragement and advice in composition, and her illumination of their music.

In 2008, Oppens took up her new post as Distinguished Professor of Music at the Conservatory of Music at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City. From 1994 through the end of the 2007/2008 academic year, she served as John Evans Distinguished Professor of Music at Northwestern University.

Composers who have written music for Ursula Oppens

• Elliott Carter
• John Harbison
• György Ligeti
• Witold Lutosławski
• Conlon Nancarrow
• Frederic Rzewski
• Charles Wuorinen
• Tobias Picker
• Allen Shawn

External links

• Colbert Artists Management profile biography, photos, reviews
• Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music faculty page
• Art of the States: Ursula Oppens performance of Elliott Carter's Piano Sonata (1945-46/1982)
• Hear Ursula Oppens in concert from WGBH Radio Boston
• Interview with Ursula Oppens by Bruce Duffie, April 1990