Jean-David Coen

Pianist Jean-David Coen, Artist in Residence at Willamette University in Oregon has studied and holds degrees from the Paris Conservatory Juilliard, and Yale; finishing with his Doctorate from the University of Southern California. He worked with significant masters representing each of the 3 great and most essential pianistic traditions: the German, Russian, and French “schools” of interpretation and technique. These great artists included Adele Marcus, Jeanne-Marie Darre, Claude Frank, Sacha Gorodnitzki, and John Perry. Jean-David began concertizing with orchestra when he was 9, and by 17 had performed both Tchaikovsky and Brahms first piano concertos. He has played around the world, with orchestras like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, in Tanglewood, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Completing a circle started with his performance of the Chopin G minor Ballade at the age of 12 in the famous tent at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Coen became a member of the Piano and Chamber Music faculty there; his tenure lasting 24 years. In addition to having been voted into the Musician’s committee and Board of trustees for 3 consecutive terms, he performed several times every year with numerous distinguished faculty colleagues, performed several piano concertos, participated in the world premiere of new compositions, judged over 30 concerto competitions, and his 2008 performance of the Diabelli variations concluded the festival’s presentation of the entire cycle of Beethoven’s piano works. While on the faculty he worked with numerous extraordinary young talents such as Greg Anderson, Eric Zuber, and Yuja Wang for the preparation of their concerto competition victories. He has toured and given master classes in both China and Japan as part of Trio Oregon. His solo and ensemble performances have been heard on NPR’s “Performance Today”, KUSC, and WQXR in New York. He has been a Visiting Professor of Piano at the Sheppard School Of Music at USC, and is also the the director of the Grace Goudy Distinguished Artists Series at Willamette. In addition to having coached winners of concerto competitions in Aspen, The Leeds competition, and of the Gilmore prize, his Oregon students have: performed in Carnegie Hall, won all of the concerto competitions in the state, performed on NPR’s “From the Top”, and hold faculty positions in the US, Europe, and Asia. He has also served on the faculty of the Colburn Summer Academy, and the Duxbury Summer Festival of Music. During the summers he performs frequently at the Chintimini Festival in Oregon, and continues to serve on the faculty of the Peng Piano Academy in Palo Alto, CA, and the Beverly Hills International Festival of music.