STEPHEN WHALE pianist

Stephen Whale's artistry has been hailed as being 'from the heart...always with his formidable technique used to further the essence of each composer'

Stephen Whale's artistry has been hailed as being 'sensational', 'jaw-dropping' and 'at the top of his game in his generation' (Performing Arts Monterey, California). Originally from Sydney, Australia, Whale has appeared at festivals such as Bergen International Festival, Norway and Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival, Finland. Based in New York City from 2014-2019, he has performed in many parts of the USA, including California, Pennsylvania, and New York. He was appointed Principal Artist for L'Archet Concert Group for the 2015-16 season and has since then performed regularly on the L'Archet concert series at East Stroudsburg University as soloist and chamber musician. Whale has also performed on the Vaughan Recital Series at Dartmouth College. In Australia, Whale has performed with the Queensland and Sydney University Orchestras.

Whale holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where he was awarded the GC Chancellor's Fellowship. He also holds degrees from Yale University and Sydney Conservatorium and has studied at the Grieg Academy, Norway. Whale's principal teachers have been Boris Berman, Natalia Sheludiakova, Thomas Sauer and Audun Kayser; he has also studied extensively with Claude Frank, Wei-Yi Yang and Ilmo Ranta. He has collaborated with artists such as Boris Allakhverdyan (principal clarinet, Los Angeles Philharmonic), Domenic Salerni (Dali Quartet), Farkhad Khudyev and the Ulysses Quartet.

Whale has taught music theory, ear training and keyboard harmony at Aaron Copland School of Music (Queens). He is also interested in deeply analysing and explaining the repertoire that he performs. His doctoral dissertation focused on the nuances of harmonic motion in terms of the interaction between polarities, such as centrifugal and centripetal forces.