Derek Han is without a doubt among the leading American pianists of his generation. Though he was originally identified with the concertos of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven -- not least because he recorded them all to generally favorable critical response -- he possesses a vast repertory that includes the concertos of Mendelssohn, Chopin, and MacDowell, as well as individual concertos by Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich, in addition to a large body of solo and chamber works. Han's style is original though fairly straightforward in its lucid tones, spirited character, and technical fluidity and accuracy. Han was born in Columbus, OH, on June 27, 1957, to Chinese parents. He was a precocious child, becoming proficient on the piano at an early age, and then graduated from Juilliard at 18. His most important teacher there was Ilona Kabos, but he studied under a string of even more prominent ones after graduating: Gina Bachauer, Lili Kraus, and Guido Agosti. Han's breakthrough came in 1977 when he captured first prize at the Athens International Piano Competition. He thus experienced a meteoric rise in the late '70s and early '80s, appearing as soloist with various first- and second-tier European and American orchestras and as a recitalist and chamber player at an array of important concert locales. He began to appear regularly at the Marlboro Music Festival (at the behest of Rudolf Serkin) and at many major concert venues in the United States and Europe: New York, St. L

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