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The Canadian-born pianist, Shelley Katz, won his first national competition at the age of 6, beginning his professional career with appearances at Expo '67 and for CBC. After studying at the Conservatoire de Musique in Montreal, he completed his Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees as a scholarship student at the Julliard School in New York (1978-1983). He obtained his PhD from the University of Surrey in England (Cognition of Expression in Music, 1993-1997).
Concerts across North America including appearances at Carnegie Recital Hall followed his graduation. While based in New York, Shelley Katz performed as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist and was the pianist for the New York Contemporary Ensemble under Stanislaw Skrowaczewskii. He also played under the batons of Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa and Georg Solti. As a chamber musician he performed extensively with the Canadian violinist Jean-Francois Rivest and the French flautist Alain Marion with whom he did a North American tour, including Carnegie Recital Hall.
Following his move to Europe in 1986, Shelley Katz continued to give concerts, and to pursue his interest in conducting. Since 1997, he serves as Musician in Residence at the International Study Centre of Queen's University. He spent several years conducting in German opera houses, including as Solorepetitor at Deutsche Oper am Rhein (1987-1990), Studienleiter mit dirigier verpflichtung at Theater der Stadt Koblenz (1990-1991), Assistant to the General Music Director in Mainz (1991-1993). He has developed performing and recording relationships with some of the world's greatest opera singers including Nicolai Gedda, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Katia Ricciarelli and Jochen Kowalski.
Shelley Katz has performed as pianist/accompanist in leading festivals and venues, including the Musikverein in Vienna, Rachmaninoff Hall in Moscow, Suntory Hall in Tokyo and the Wigmore Hall in London. He has performed for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, President von Weizecker of Germany, the late President Rau of Germany, and at the Kremlin in Moscow. He has broadcast in Japan, Germany, Canada and the USA. His recordings include J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (BWV 988), Canadian piano music, Schumann’s Dichterliebe with Jochen Kowalski, J. Jeffrie’s Songs and Victorian songs with Jonathan Veira, Canadian songs with Diana Gilchrist and Stolz’s Blumen Lieder with Dagmar Schellenberger.
Since 1993 Shelley Katz has been based in England where in addition to his active performance career, he completed a Ph.D in Music technology. Shelley is the holder of several granted patents in loudspeaker design and technology, and designed the highly-acclaimed Podium Sound loudspeakers, the only audiophile passive flat-panel loudspeakers in the world.
In July 2011, Shelley Katz was appointed as a Research Fellow at the University of Surrey, a Visiting Fellow at Wolfson College - Cambridge, and from July 1, 2011, is the Director of the Symphonova Project; a project to design, develop and implement the world’s first high-end digital symphony orchestra. |
