A long-time SF Performances favorite, Jonathan Biss combines lush playing with a compelling knack for creating programs that engage and transcend, exploring music, history and thought. Above all, his performances revel in and reveal the humanity of the music. "Jonathan Biss doesn't do things halfway. As a pianist, teacher, and writer, he tends toward an obsessive, full-immersion approach to any project that commands his attention" (SF Classical Voice).
Growing up in Bloomington, Indiana, Biss was blessed with excellent teachers, starting with Karen Taylor-who as his first instructor, helped him give what is still regarded as the definitive performance of the "Middle C Piece,"-and continuing with Evelyne Brancart, who for six years was an invaluable source of information. At the age of 17, Biss went to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Leon Fleisher, which proved a phenomenal learning experience.
While Biss's life in music provides him with tremendous satisfaction, he admits that playing music remains ever a struggle. He regards it as a pleasure and privilege to live this struggle, and to share its results with other people.