Hailed by Village Voice critic Kyle Gann as one of "new music's most valued performers," pianist JOSEPH KUBERA has gained international renown as a major interpreter of contemporary music. Recent engagements have included recitals at the Berlin "Inventionen" Festival, the World Music Institute's "Interpretations" series in New York, and New Music America Montreal.
A leading proponent of the music of John Cage, he has performed many of the composer's works, including Etudes Australes, Sonatas and Interludes and Music of Changes. He is featured soloist in the Concert for Piano and Orchestra with the Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble; he has also performed the work with the San Francisco Symphony under John Adams. He appeared performing works of Cage and Cowell in the BBC-TV documentary, "West Coast Story." At Cage's invitation, he toured extensively with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company from 1977 to 1980.
Kubera is a core member of the S.E.M. Ensemble, Roscoe Mitchell's New Chamber Ensemble, North/South Consonance, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He has toured with composer Robert Ashley in performances of his work eL/Aficionado, along with baritone Tom Buckner and pianist "Blue" Gene Tyranny. Past affiliations include the Bowery Ensemble, Steve Reich and Musicians, and the Center for Creative and Performing Arts at SUNY Buffalo. He has recorded for OO Discs, Lovely Music, 1750 Arch and Opus One labels.
In recent years, Kubera has been awarded performance grants by the National Endowment for the Arts (Solo Recitalist Program), the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts, and other arts organizations. He holds music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and the State University of New York at Buffalo. His principal teachers have been Leo Smit and Walter Hautzig.
DISCOGRAPHY