Biography | CharlieAlbright.com | Official Website of Pianist Charlie Albright


















	2009 Young Concert Artist and 2010 Gilmore Young Artist Charlie Albright has been critically acclaimed as a “poet of the piano” by Robert Sherman of the New York Times and as a “keyboard wizard” who “played like an angel…with a level of polish pianists twice his age would envy” by New York’s Democrat and Chronicle. Having performed duets and chamber music on multiple occasions with such artists as cellist Yo-Yo Ma (thrice) and such groups as the Silk Road Project (twice), the national and international competition winner has performed or competed across the United States, France, Australia, Norway, and Portugal. Vice President Joe Biden was quoted stating that “If I did my job as well as you (Charlie) do yours, I’d be President.” Charlie received first prize at the 2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, all top prizes at the 2006 Eastman International Piano Competition, and first prize at the 2005 IIYM International Piano Competition. The first in history, the young artist won first prize in both the solo and ensemble divisions of the 2006 Biennial New York Piano Competition. Other awards include third prize in the 2007 Hilton Head International Piano Competition, the Best Stage I Performance of a Study by Liszt and Semi-Finalist Prizes at the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition, Top Twelve in the 2009 Top of the World International Piano Competition, and Top Six in the 2008 Grand Prix Animato International Piano Competition, and the Elizabeth Leonskaya Special Award at the 2009 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition. Currently a Junior majoring in Economics as a pre-medical student at Harvard College, Charlie was the first classical pianist in the Harvard/New England Conservatory of Music 5-Year B.A./M.M. Joint Program, and studies with Wha-Kyung Byun. He studied with Nancy Adsit, from whom he still receives master lessons, for eleven years prior to moving to Boston, and received his Associate Degree in General Science from the Centralia College in 2007. In addition to a full academic course load, Charlie maintains an active international performing career, having competed or performed throughout the United States, as well as in France, Australia, Norway, and Portugal. The young artist gave a solo concert commemorating the 5-year memorial of the World Trade Center attacks at Trinity Church in New York City, a duet performance with Yo-Yo Ma at an honorary degree ceremony for Senator Ted Kennedy at Harvard University with such guests as Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer and Vice President Joe Biden, and another collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma at a program commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, featuring Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison. The young artist has performed many concertos with numerous orchestras around the United States, including the Seattle Philharmonic, the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble, the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, the Olympia Symphony Orchestra, the Port Angeles Symphony Orchestra, the Harvard Bach Society Orchestra, and the Northwest Wind Symphony…many of which to sold-out audiences. An advocate of higher education, Charlie raised money through a benefit concert creating the Charlie Albright Scholarship, which was given to seven students in 2009. Additionally, the Charlie Albright Piano Project was initiated to raise money for a 9-foot Steinway to be purchased for Corbet Hall at Charlie’s alma mater, the Centralia College. The piano was purchased at the end of 2009, and was dedicated to him by the College. The twenty-seven worldwide concerts and master classes in the 2010-2011 Concert Season will include debuts with the San Francisco and Seattle Symphony Orchestras; a solo debut in Germany at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Music Festival; and official debuts in Boston at the Elizabeth Gardner Museum; in New York at the Merkin Concert Hall; and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The 2009-2010 concert season included performances in Skytop, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, CA; Bellingham, WA (including teaching a master class); Paris, France; New York City, NY; Boston, MA; Olympia, WA; Centralia, WA; and six in Michigan as part of the 2010 Gilmore Keyboard Festival. Charlie is under management with Young Concert Artists, Inc. Editing the biographies for publicity purposes without the prior written permission from CharlieAlbright.com or Young Concert Artists, Inc. is prohibited. Early Career - To be used as background information only. Do not reproduce in any publications, online or print.: Charlie has been selected five times as an Olympia Chapter representative to the Washington State Music Teachers Convention. He was chosen to play with the University of Puget Sound Orchestra at the University’s 1998 Piano Festival. In the fall of 2000, he won trophies in the Central Washington University’s Sonatina/Sonata Festival and the Olympia Chapter Concerto Festival. Charlie was awarded a scholarship from the Beaux Arts Society in Portland and performed there on 12 May 2001. He was a guest soloist with the Capitol Area Youth Symphony on 20 May 2001 to play the first movement of the Grieg Concerto. In November of 2001, Charlie played in the Junior High Washington Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) competition and received an Honorable Mention and 2nd in the composition division. He also was one of three area students selected to participate in a workshop with Christopher O’Riley. He performed in the Elsinore Piano Series in Salem, Oregon on 8 December.In January 2002, Charlie performed with Dr. Tanya Stambuk in Gig Harbor, Washington. Later, he played the Menotti Toccata on a “live” taping of ”From the Top” at Indiana University on 17 February 2002. He appeared in a full program in April at The United Churches in Olympia and on the Longview Piano Recital Series. On 17 November 2002 Charlie was the guest performer with the Olympia Symphony at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts and on 1 December with the Seattle Philharmonic at the University of Washington’s Meany Hall, where he played the Haydn Concerto in D. He was a prizewinner in the Northwest Chopin Festival on 1 February 2003. Charlie played another full program in Olympia and Gig Harbor in April. He also presented that program at Sherman Clay in Seattle in the Steinway Young Artists Series on 18 October 2003 and was the guest artist to perform the complete Grieg Concerto with the Port Angeles Symphony on 1 November 2003. A week later Washington State Music Teachers Association selected him top pianist in the state’s 2003 Senior Piano Division. Charlie was selected and performed at the 2004 Texas Christian University / Cliburn Piano Institute Young Artists Program in Forth Worth, Texas. He was the youngest pianist selected that year. Throughout his music studies Charlie has coached with many renowned instructors, including Randolph Hokanson, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Andre Laplante, Harold Martina, John Owings, Leonard Richter, Boris Slutsky, Tamas Ungar, Blanca Uribe, Richard Goode and Jack Winerock. In November he was selected the State MTNA Senior 2004 Winner and winner at the Division Competition in Spokane in January 2005. On December 4th 2004 Charlie won the Olympia Music Teachers Association Fifth Annual Concerto Festival Senior Division competition. He gave a recital at Sherman Clay in Seattle on 16 January 2005 and in Longview, Washington in May. In February he performed in a Prizewinners’ Concert at the 2005 NW Chopin Foundation Festival in Seattle. In March 2005, he performed on the Community Concerts Series in Centralia, Washington. Charlie was one of the top seven senior piano contestants in the country to compete at the National MTNA Convention. In April of he performed the first movement of the Grieg Concerto with the Northwest Wind Symphony. In July 2005 Charlie was the first place winner of the IIYM 2005 International Piano Competition in Lawrence, Kansas. In January 2006, he was the 2nd place winner of the 1st Schimmel Senior International Piano Competition in Tempe, Arizona. He performed the Shostakovitch Concerto #2 with the Olympia Symphony in March 2006 and is scheduled to play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue with the Northwest Wind Symphony in April; he was also invited to return to Lawrence, Kansas to perform, this past April. Charlie was recently chosen as one of twenty-two competitors for the 3rd Biennial New York Piano Competition, this June, in New York City, and won first place in both sections of the competition; the solo and ensemble competitions. He was also one of twenty-two competitors selected, worldwide, for the 2006 Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition in at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he took first place, as well as the Best Performance in a Master Class Prize, The Best Performance of a 21st Century Work Prize, and the Audience Prize. Charlie Albright performed along the east coast during the 2006-2007 Season. Concerts included a performance at the Trinity Church on Sept. 11, 2006 in New York City for the 5-year memorial of the World Trade Center Attacks; a duo concert with Larry Weng with the Metropolitan Opera Chamber Ensemble in White Plains, NY; a performance at the First United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C.; and a concert at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Charlie won the Washington State MTNA Senior Piano Competition for the fourth time in November of 2006, and was the youngest participant from an applicant pool of pianists 18-30 years old selected for the 2007 Hilton Head International Piano Competition. As one of four people representing the United States, he won third place. In July/August of 2007, Charlie participated in the 2007 Paris Piano Institute in Paris, France. Charlie’s 2007-2008 Season included a performance with the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in Olympia, WA; a concert at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City; and a concert as part of the Emerging Artists Series in Philadelphia, PA. During the summer of 2008, Charlie participated as one of 36 pianists selected for the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia. One of the top 12 in the competition as a Semi-Finalist, Charlie also won the prize for the “Best Performance of a Study by Liszt in Stage 1.”				2009 Young Concert Artist International Piano Competition - Paul A. Fish First Prize - Ronald A. Ahserson Prize - John Browning Prize - Sander Buchman Prize - Ruth Laredo Award - Four Performance Prizes 2010 Gilmore Young Artist Award 2009 Vendome Prize International Piano Competition - Elizabeth Leonskaya Special Award 2009 Top of the World International Piano Competition - Semi-finalist (Top 12) 2008 Grand Prix Animato International Piano Competition - Semi-Finalist (Top 6) 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition - Best Stage I Performance of a Study by Liszt Award -Semi-Finalist (Top 12) 2007 Hilton Head International Piano Competition - Third Prize 2006 Eastman Young Artists International Piano Competition - First Prize - Best Performance of a 21st Century Work Prize - Best Performance in a Master Class Prize - Audience Prize 2006 New York Biennial National Piano Competition - First Prize, Solo Category - First Prize, Ensemble Category 2006 Schimmel Senior International Piano Competition - Second Prize 2005 IIYM International Piano Competition - First Prize