Collaborative Piano
James Lent, an accomplished soloist and collaborator, received his doctorate degree in performance in 2001 from Yale University, where he studied with Boris Berman, Claude Frank, and Peter Frankl. His numerous awards include prizes in the 1999 Concert Artists Guild International Competition, the 2000 National Chopin Competition, the 1999 and 1996 Washington International Piano competitions, and the Houston Symphony Ima Hogg National Young Artist Competition.
As a concerto soloist, Mr. Lent made his Alabama Symphony debut replacing André Watts on 24 hours' notice. Other orchestral appearances include the Houston, Utah, and Vancouver symphonies, the Shanghai Philharmonic, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. His solo recital appearances include performances at Weill Recital Hall and Steinway Hall in New York, La Sala Chopin in Mexico City, and Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in Germany. He made his Boston recital debut at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. At the Cleveland Museum of Art he premiered a work written for him by noted composer Frederic Rzewski. His performances have been heard on New York's WQXR, NPR's Performance Today, KUHF's Houston in Concert, and KRTS' Houston Symphony series.
As a collaborator, Mr. Lent's performances have included the U.S. premiere of Carl Vine's Sonata for Flute and Piano with Ransom Wilson, plus recitals with Carol Wincenc and Charles Neidich. He was also invited to participate in the Pierre Boulez Workshop for Instrumentalists and Conductors at Carnegie Hall, where he performed with the Ensemble Intercontemporain under the direction of Maestro Boulez at Weill Recital Hall. In 2003 Mr. Lent made his debut with Camerata Pacifica performing the American premiere of Penderecki's Piano Quintet.
Mr. Lent is an alumnus of the Music Academy (1993) and has been an associate member of the faculty since 2003.