John Blacklow
Associate Professor of Music
Piano
D.M.A. University of Southern California
M.M. The Juilliard School
B.A. Harvard University
Office: 202 Crowley Hall
Telephone: (574) 631-7658
Email: jblacklow@nd.edu
Hailed for his "powerful and eloquent" playing (New York Times), as “a brilliant performer—a gifted musical presence with a high sense of pianistic fantasy” (Salzburger Nachrichten), John Blacklow is a pianist of unusual versatility, as a soloist, as a collaborator with many ensembles and recital partners, and as an interpreter of repertoire both past and current. He has been presented in many prestigious venues and concert series throughout the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
As soloist, Blacklow has been presented in venues such as Alice Tully Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Musikverein in Vienna, the Royal Conservatoire in Brussels, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. In 2009, EDI Records released a solo piano CD Prism , featuring works by Berg, J.S. Bach, Schumann, and Chopin. Blacklow has performed in several capacities with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As keyboardist, he worked under conductors Esa-Pekka Salonen, Pierre Boulez, Leonard Slatkin, and Marin Alsop, and performed in the world premiere of “Soundings” by John Williams at the gala opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Blacklow has also participated in the LA Philharmonic's Chamber Music Society, on the Green Umbrella New Music Series, and appears on the orchestra's Deutsche Grammophon/iTunes recordings.
In 2004, Blacklow was selected with violinist Jennifer Frautschi by Carnegie Hall and the European Concert Hall Organization for their “Rising Stars” program, and the duo was received with high acclaim at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Wigmore Hall in London, and Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, as well as on Carnegie’s own “Distinctive Debuts” series. They have since appeared in Symphony Hall in Detroit, the Windham Music Festival in New York, the Wilson Center for the Arts in Wisconsin, Harvard Musical Association, Wellesley College, as well as on NPR’s “Performance Today” and BBC 3 in the United Kingdom. Blacklow and violinist Hahn-Bin first performed together for the Grammy Awards in 2000, honoring Isaac Stern. In addition to highly acclaimed recitals at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and Carnegie's Zankel Hall, they have performed throughout the U.S., in Korea, at the Louvre in Paris, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and recorded the album HAZE for Universal Music, Ltd., which was praised for its "great intensity and energy" (The Gramophone.) Blacklow has also appeared with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Princeton Composers’ Ensemble, the Coolidge and Corigliano Quartets, Quartetto Prometeo, and many other prominent recitalists.
A Steinway Artist, Blacklow was born in Boston and studied piano with Tatiana Yampolsky, graduating from both Harvard University and The Juilliard School. He has also worked with Bella Davidovich and Leonard Shure. He is Associate Professor of Piano at the University of Notre Dame, and has served as jury member for national and international competitions.
