Garrick Ohlsson
Artist biography

Garrick Ohlsson

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, pianist Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess.

About 

Garrick Ohlsson

Since his triumph as winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, pianist Garrick Ohlsson has established himself worldwide as a musician of magisterial interpretive and technical prowess. Although long regarded as one of the world’s leading exponents of the music of Frédéric Chopin, Mr. Ohlsson commands an enormous repertoire, which ranges over the entire piano literature. A student of the late Claudio Arrau, Mr. Ohlsson has come to be noted for his masterly performances of the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, as well as the Romantic repertoire. To date he has at his command more than 80 concertos, ranging from Haydn and Mozart to works of the 21st century, many commissioned for him. In 2018/19 season he launched an ambitious project spread over two seasons exploring the complete solo piano works of Brahms in four different programs. The cycle will be heard in New York, San Francisco, Montreal, Los Angeles, London and a number of cities across North America, culminating in Tanglewood, summer 2020. In concerto repertoire ranging from Mozart and Beethoven to Brahms and Barber, he will return to the Nashville, Oregon, Dallas, Detroit and Colorado Symphonies, concluding the 2019/20 season in Bellingham Festival of Music with all Beethoven concerti programmed over the course of three performances. Internationally he can be heard with orchestras in Seoul, Helsinki, Zagreb, Tallinn, Manchester and London.A frequent guest with the orchestras in Australia, Mr. Ohlsson has recently visited Perth, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Hobart as well as the New Zealand Symphony in Wellington and Auckland. In February 2020 he will embark on a seven city recital tour across Australia. An avid chamber musician, Mr. Ohlsson has collaborated with the Cleveland, Emerson, Tokyo and Takacs string quartets, including most recently Boston Chamber Players on tour in Europe. Together with violinist Jorja Fleezanis and cellist Michael Grebanier, he is a founding member of the San Francisco-based FOG Trio. Passionate about singing and singers, Mr. Ohlsson has appeared in recital with such legendary artists as Magda Olivero, Jessye Norman, and Ewa Podleś.Mr. Ohlsson can be heard on the Arabesque, RCA Victor Red Seal, Angel, BMG, Delos, Hänssler, Nonesuch, Telarc, Hyperion and Virgin Classics labels. His ten-disc set of the complete Beethoven Sonatas, for Bridge Records, has garnered critical acclaim, including a GRAMMY® for Vol. 3. His recording of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3, with the Atlanta Symphony and Robert Spano, was released in 2011. In the fall of 2008 the English label Hyperion re-released his 16-disc set of the Complete Works of Chopin followed in 2010 by all the Brahms piano variations, “Goyescas” by Enrique Granados, and music of Charles Tomlinson Griffes. Most recently on that label are Scriabin’s Complete Poèmes, Smetana Czech Dances, and ètudes by Debussy, Bartok and Prokofiev. The latest CDs in his ongoing association with Bridge Records are the Complete Scriabin Sonatas, “Close Connections,” a recital of 20th-Century pieces, and two CDs of works by Liszt. In recognition of the Chopin bicentenary in 2010, Mr. Ohlsson was featured in a documentary “The Art of Chopin” co-produced by Polish, French, British and Chinese television stations. Most recently, both Brahms concerti and Tchaikovsky’s second piano concerto were released on live performance recordings with the Melbourne and Sydney Symphonies on their own recording labels, and Mr. Ohlsson was featured on Dvorak’s piano concerto in the Czech Philharmonic’s recordings of the composer’s complete symphonies & concertos, released July of 2014 on the Decca label.A native of White Plains, N.Y., Garrick Ohlsson began his piano studies at the age of 8, at the Westchester Conservatory of Music; at 13 he entered The Juilliard School, in New York City. His musical development has been influenced in completely different ways by a succession of distinguished teachers, most notably Claudio Arrau, Olga Barabini, Tom Lishman, Sascha Gorodnitzki, Rosina Lhévinne and Irma Wolpe. Although he won First Prizes at the 1966 Busoni Competition in Italy and the 1968 Montréal Piano Competition, it was his 1970 triumph at the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he won the Gold Medal (and remains the single American to have done so), that brought him worldwide recognition as one of the finest pianists of his generation. Since then he has made nearly a dozen tours of Poland, where he retains immense personal popularity. Mr. Ohlsson was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1994 and received the 1998 University Musical Society Distinguished Artist Award in Ann Arbor, MI. He is the 2014 recipient of the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance from the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music, and in August 2018 the Polish Deputy Culture Minister awarded him with the Gloria Artis Gold Medal for cultural merit. He is a Steinway Artist and makes his home in San Francisco.

Watch a free lesson with

Garrick Ohlsson

Click below to access your free flute lesson! When you're ready for more, start your 14-day free trial of tonebase to unlock 100s of flute courses, weekly live workshops, a vibrant community, and more!

Learn from

Garrick Ohlsson

 and other renowned musicians

Start your 14-day free trial of tonebase today to unlock 100s of music courses, weekly live workshops, a vibrant community, and more!

Enter tonebase Music

Everything you need to play your favorite pieces with more confidence, deepen your understanding of music in general, and grow as an artist, passionate hobbyist or educator.

Theory & Ear Training

  • Harmony & Counterpoint – Identify chord progressions, master scales, and gain a deeper understanding of the music around you.
  • Analysis – Discover how your favorite pieces work beneath the surface.
  • Ear Training – Recognize intervals, chords, and nuances to sharpen everything from improvisation to sight-reading.

History & Appreciation

  • Historical Eras – Understand music from the baroque to the music of today.
  • Influential Figures – Learn about the composers and innovators who shaped music across centuries.
  • Understanding Context – Learn about various genre’s and forms, where did they come from,  and why do they sound the way they do.

Performance & Practice Strategies

  • Effective Practice Routines – Maximize progress with proven techniques used and taught by world-class artists.
  • Performance Prep & Mindset – Overcome stage fright, refine your interpretation, and perform with confidence.
  • Audition Prep – Nail your next audition, whether it’s for school or a professional orchestra.

Essential Instruments & Methods

  • Foundational Instruments - Begin or refresh your chops with introductory conducting, piano, and vocal lessons.
  • Proven Methods - Alexander Technique to improve your posture and reduce stress, Kodály for developing the ear, and much more.
  • Pedagogical Approaches - For educators: strategies for classroom management, commanding an ensemble, or running a private studio.

Composition & Arranging

  • Craft Original Pieces – Learn how to translate the ideas from your head to the page. Write your first piece or hone your unique voice with essential compositional techniques.
  • Reimagine Existing Works – Introduction to orchestration and arrangement to transform your favorite music for yourself or new ensembles.
  • Notation - Learn the art of how to present music on the page and software like Sibelius.

Recording & Technology

  • Recording Essentials – Master setup, mic placement, and capture techniques for a clean and professional sound.
  • Music Production & DAWs – Mix your session or create new tracks with programs like Logic.
  • Video Editing – We’re in the age of video: Harness the latest technology to better share your talents with the world.

Now Until Friday: 45% Off 🔥

Choose your plan below to start your free trial and lock in your discount before it’s too late!
Suscríbete y Ahorra
Anual
Mensual

Anual

$
30
16.50
/mes
Facturado a $198 anualmente
Únete a más de 25K Miembros Activos

Mensual

Mensual

$
60
33
/mes
Facturado mensualmente
Únete a más de 25K Miembros Activos
Paga Una Vez, Acceso Para Siempre
¡Obtén acceso ilimitado de por vida!

De por vida

$
895
493
/una vez
Facturado solo una vez
Únete a más de 25K Miembros Activos
Todos los planes incluyen:
  • checkmark icon
    Acceso ilimitado por 14 días de prueba gratuita
  • checkmark icon
    Garantía de satisfacción completa de 90 días
  • checkmark icon
    Acceso a más de 500 lecciones y cursos en video
  • checkmark icon
    Contenido del curso estructurado y guiado
  • checkmark icon
    PDFs de trabajo y partituras anotadas gratuitos
  • checkmark icon
    Retroalimentación de nuestra Comunidad activa
  • checkmark icon
    Bonificación: La Herramienta de Práctica Definitiva

"No me arrepiento en absoluto de haber gastado el dinero en la membresía. Hay algo para cada músico en tonebase – Te recomiendo que lo pruebes."

Photo of Dave
Dave McLellan

Concertista & Músico de cámara

Únete a más de 10,000 músicos que mejoran cada día en tonebase.