| André Watts
André Watts burst upon the music world at the age of 16 when Leonard Bernstein chose him to make his debut with
the New York Philharmonic in their Young People's Concerts, broadcast nationwide on CBS-TV. Only two weeks later, Bernstein
asked him to substitute at the last minute for the ailing Glenn Gould in performances of Liszt's E-flat Concerto with the
New York Philharmonic, thus launching his career in storybook fashion. More than 45 years later, André Watts
remains one of today's most celebrated and beloved superstars.
A perennial favorite with orchestras throughout the U.S., Mr. Watts is also a regular guest at the major summer music
festivals including Ravinia, the Hollywood Bowl, Saratoga, Tanglewood and the Mann Music Center. Recent and upcoming orchestral
engagements include appearances with the Philadelphia and Minnesota orchestras, New York and Los Angeles philharmonics
and the St. Louis, Atlanta, Detroit, Cincinnati, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Dallas, Seattle and National symphony
orchestras. During the 2009-2010 season he traveled to Japan in July to appear as a featured artist at the Pacific Music
Festival in Sapporo and returned in the fall for an extensive tour of recital and orchestral appearances.
A much-honored artist who has played before royalty in Europe and heads of government in nations all over the world, André
Watts was selected to receive the Avery Fisher Prize in 1988. At age 26, he was the youngest person ever to receive an Honorary
Doctorate from Yale University and he has since received numerous honors from highly respected schools including the University
of Pennsylvania, Brandeis University, The Juilliard School of Music and his Alma Mater, the Peabody Conservatory of Johns
Hopkins University. In June 2006, he was inducted into the Hollywood Bowl of Fame to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his
debut (with the Philadelphia Orchestra).
Previously Artist-in-Residence at the University of Maryland, Mr. Watts was appointed to the newly created Jack I. and
Dora B. Hamlin Endowed Chair in Music at Indiana University in May 2004.
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