LIVE at Piedmont Piano Company
photo by Clive Barda
Rachel Breen, solo piano
Classical pianist Rachel Breen returns to the piano store to perform a program featuring later works of German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (Op. 109 and 126), as well as some assorted short works.
FREE Admission, $20 suggested donation
We are offering a limited number of seats for this performance in person. Advance reservation is recommended. Masking is encouraged but not required.
RACHEL BREEN
Young American pianist Rachel Breen’s performances have been described as “truly show-stopping” (Gramophone UK), having “a beautiful piano sound and original detail.” She is a student of the late Lars Vogt at Hannover's Hochschule für Musik; previously, she completed degrees at Yale University and the Juilliard School under--respectively--Boris Slutsky and Julian Martin. Breen was self-taught until age 10, when she began lessons with Dr. Sharon Mann at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Breen has enjoyed an active competition career, having been awarded top prizes at Premi Iturbi (2023), the Hans von Bülow International Competition (2023), the Bösendorfer International Competition (2023), the Honens International Piano Competition (2022), the Beethoven International Competition in Vienna (2021), and the Georges Cziffra International Competition (2019), among others. She was selected as the 2021-23 National Federation of Music Clubs’ Young Artist in the US, and received the 2021 Kurt Alten Prize at her university in Germany.
She has performed and taught masterclasses around the United States, as well as in Argentina, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary. She is featured in the 2021 podcast 30 Bach alongside Jeremy Denk, Angela Hewitt, Tim Page, and Simone Dinnerstein in a discussion and performance of the Goldberg Variations. Her most recent concert seasons have featured guest artist appearances at the Chautauqua Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, Southeastern Piano Festival, The San Francisco International Piano Festival, the Beethovenfest in Bonn, Merkin Hall for IKIF, Festival Liszt en Provence, and Fazioli Hall's Concert Series.
Aside from piano, Breen has an interest in languages, having received first prize on the National Latin Exam and third prize on the National French Exam. She spends her spare time running, exploring philosophy and visual arts, and forgetting to answer important emails.
Breen is currently based in Hannover, Germany.