Album Notes

"James Lent's performance of Rhapsody in Blue was stylishly original, full of passion and personality."
-Beijing Music Weekly

Pianist James Lent is winning acclaim for the exquisite sensitivity and vibrant energy of his playing. He holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Yale University and was a top winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition, where he also won the WQXR Prize. He was a prize winner at the National Chopin Competition. He has also won top prizes at the Washington International Piano Competitions, the Olga Koussevitsky Piano Competition and the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg National Young Artist Competition.

Mr. Lent has appeared in recital at the Cleveland Museum of Art where he gave the world premiere of a new work by noted composer Frederic Rzewski, and has performed over 30 recitals across the United States including appearances in California, Oregon, and throughout Texas.

Past seasons have included his European debut at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, performances of Rhapsody in Blue with the Ocean City Pops, the United States premiere of Vine's Sonata for Flute and Piano with Ransom Wil-son, a chamber music appearance at New York's Sylvia and Danny Kaye Playhouse, a week of residence at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, performances with Carol Wincenc and Charles Neidich, and recitals throughout the United States.

Mr. Lent made his Boston recital debut at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, his Concert Artists Guild debut recital at New York's Kosciuszko Foundation, and a recital tour of the northwestern United States. Mr. Lent was invited to participate in the Pierre Boulez Workshop for Instrumentalists and Conductors at Carnegie Hall; he performed with the renowned Ensem-ble Intercontemporain under the direction of Maestro Boulez in a sold-out concert at Weill Recital Hall.

Mr. Lent's orchestral appearances include the Vancouver Symphony, the Houston Symphony, the Shanghai Phil-harmonic, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, among others. His recital appearances include venues such as Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in New York, Jones Hall in Houston, and La Sala Chopin in Mexico City. His performances have been heard on New York's WQXR, National Public Radio's Performance Today, KUHF's Houston in Concert, and KRTS's Houston Symphony Series.

Mr. Lent was a fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara. He recently served a second summer on the Associate Piano Faculty of the Sarasota Music Festival. He served for four summers on the faculty of the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts where he also served on the visiting artists faculty throughout the year.

Mr. Lent is a native of Houston where he attended the Houston High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and the University of Houston. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the Yale University School of Music in the fall of 2000. His teachers have included Boris Berman, Susan Starr, Nancy Weems, Peter Frankl, and Claude Frank.

Mr. Lent currently resides in Los Angeles, where he performs weekly on Fridays at The Other Side piano bar and cabaret!