Search - Bradley Bolen, Vincent De Vries :: Bolen & De Vries Piano Duo - Brahms, Milhaud, Poulenc & Rachmaninoff

Hailed as a pianist of great versatility and skill, BRADLEY BOLEN has appeared as soloist, collaborator, lecturer, writer and recording artist. Following the onset of piano study at age eight, Dr. Bolen studied and coached with such notable teachers as David Stokan, NancyGarrett, Anton Nel, Martin Canin and Menahem Pressler. He has since won top prizes in piano competitions, including the Eastfield Festival for Twentieth-Century Music, the Fort Worth Symphony Concerto Competition, and the Arlington Fine Arts League Competition. In 1993, Dr. Bolen was one of five pianists, chosen internationally, to receive a fellowship to the Hartt School of Music in New Haven, Connecticut, where he studied under the guidance of renowned pianist Claude Frank. Dr. Bolen is an active performer, both as a soloist and accompanist, and concertizes throughout the United States, Mexico and in Europe, where he has served as summer faculty for the Austrian-American Mozart Academy in Salzburg, Austria. In 2003, he gave the first live performance of renowned pianist Earl Wild's Sonata 2000. Mr. Wild wrote, "Bradley Bolen is one of the most astute musicians I have encountered in my long career. His pianistic abilities are of the highest level, and his perceptive powers as an interpreter are extraordinary." After receiving his doctorate from The University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Bolen designed and marketed a series of highly successful lecture courses for general concert audiences, including "Ten Ways to Listen , "The Masterpiece and the Romantic Dream", "Beethoven to Picasso, " and "Piano! Piano!" His writings can be found in the American Record Guide, where he has served as music critic for years. In addition, he has arranged and recorded music for film, including Touchstone Pictures' The War at Home, and Erik Borzi s Silent Paradise. Currently, Dr. Bolen serves as piano faculty at Baylor University in Texas. VINCENT DE VRIES, Assistant Professor of Piano and Director of Collaborative Piano at Baylor University, is an active performer, presenting recitals as soloist, duo pianist, accompanist and organist. Prior to his appointment at Baylor University, he served as an Assistant Instructor at The University of Texas at Austin, teaching instrumental accompanying to undergraduate and graduate students. Dr. de Vries received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The University of Texas at Austin, and holds a Performer s Diploma from The Royal Conservatory in The Hague, The Netherlands and a Master s degree from Bowling Green State University. His principal teachers have included Nancy Garrett, Edward Auer, Jerome Rose and Theo Bruins. Dr. de Vries is the recipient of many scholarships, and has won awards in several competitions, among them first prize in the National Young Artist Competition in The Netherlands and first prize in the Sidney Wright Accompanying Competition at The University of Texas at Austin. In addition to his piano performances, his work as a concert organist is highly regarded. He has given more than 300 solo recitals and has seven CD releases to his credit. In 2003, Dr. de Vries received the silver medal from the Arts, Sciences, et Lettres in Paris for his contributions to the French organ literature. On disc, Vincent de Vries can also be heard in recital with Jeffrey Powers, Associate Professor of Horn at Baylor University, in recordings of works by Baldwin, Bentzon, Pilss and Vignery on the MSR label [MS1212].