Through the years, critics have hailed Simon’s mastery and noted that his playing has its roots in the great pianists of the past. Improvising at the piano at the age of three, he had natural perfect pitch and began taking lessons at the age of five. After studying with David Saperton, the son-in-law of celebrated pianist Leopold Godowsky, Saperton took him to play for the great pianist Josef Hofmann. At the age of eight, Simon was accepted by Hofmann as a scholarship student at the Curtis Institute where he trained with fellow classmates Jorge Bolet and Sidney Foster, among others.

Upon graduation from Curtis, Simon went on to win numerous awards. He made his official debut in New York’s Town Hall as winner of the prestigious Naumburg Award. Following this success he performed at Carnegie Hall a number of times before his debut tour to Europe. His success in Europe was so great that he did not return to the U.S. for some 12 years.

He has been the recipient of the Federation of Music Clubs Award, the National Orchestral Association Award, and a Ford Foundation Award. Following his debut in Europe, he received the Harriet Cohen Medal and the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Award.

Simon’s recordings for Philips, EMI, HMV, and Vox make him one of the most recorded classical artists of all time. He has recorded all the concertos of Rachmaninoff, the complete works of Ravel, and Schumann’s Carnaval and Fantasy. His Chopin collection encompasses some 20 disks.

Abbey Simon has served on the faculties of such noted schools as Indiana University and the Juilliard School. Simon currently holds a Cullen Distinguished Professorship at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, where he has been a member of the faculty since 1977. Recently, Abbey Simon was presented in recital on the “Naumburg Looks Back” series in Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall.

Mr. Barnatan’s 2011-12 season appearances include a solo performance as part of the Lincoln Center’s Great Performers series, chamber music appearances in New York and a U.S. tour with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and West Coast recitals including opening the Music@Menlo Winter Series and performances at the Portland Piano International. He will make orchestral appearances with the Billings, Chattanooga, Eugene, Jacksonville and Oregon Symphony Orchestras and the Nordwestdeutschen Philharmonie. In February 2012 he will embark on an eight-city European tour with cellist Alisa Weilerstein, preceded by concerto and chamber performances in Israel, and he will also undertake a three-week concerto and recital tour of South Africa in November.

An avid chamber musician, Mr. Barnatan recently completed three seasons as a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two program. In 2008 he received the Andrew Wolf Memorial Award in Rockport, awarded every two years to an exceptional chamber music pianist. His rigorous U.S. festival schedule has included a broad range of concerts at the Spoleto Festival USA, the Aspen and Bridgehampton Music Festivals, and the Santa Fe and Seattle Chamber Music Festivals.

Mr. Barnatan’s debut CD of Schubert piano works was released on Bridge Records in 2006. His second CD of works for piano and violin by Beethoven and Schubert with violinist Liza Ferschtman was described by All Music Guide as “a magical listening experience.” In 2012, Mr. Barnatan will release his second solo recording, Darkness Visible featuring wide-ranging but thematically-related works: Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, Thomas Adés’s Darknesse Visible, Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, Ronald Stevenson’s Peter Grimes Fantasy and Ravel’s La Valse.

Born in Tel Aviv in 1979, Inon Barnatan started playing the piano at the age of three after his parents discovered he had perfect pitch, and he made his orchestral debut at eleven. His studies connect him to some of the 20th century’s most illustrious pianists and teachers: he studied with Professor Victor Derevianko, who himself studied with the Russian master Heinrich Neuhaus, and in 1997 he moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music with Maria Curcio – who was a student of the legendary Artur Schnabel – and with Christopher Elton. Leon Fleisher has also been an influential teacher and mentor. In 2006 Mr. Barnatan moved to New York City. For more information about Mr. Barnatan visit www.inonbarnatan.com or visit his page on Facebook.

Throughout her long and illustrious career, Dedova has performed or collaborated with luminaries such as Dmitry Kabalevsky, Mariss Jansons, Vladimir Spivakov and the Guarneri Quartet. She has appeared as a festival artist for numerous music festivals, such as the William Kapell International Piano Festival at the University of Maryland, Semaines Musicales de Tours in France, Russian Stars in South Korea, Borken Festival in Germany, Schlern International Music Festival and Cividale del Friuli Festival in Italy, as well as the International Piano Festival and White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia. Her chamber music activities include performances with the Left Bank Quartet, flutist Raimond Guiot, cellist Menahem Meir and pianist Mikhail Volchok.

The lyricism, romanticism and virtuosity of Dedova’s performances have brought her the love and affection of audiences and critical acclaim. Commenting on Dedova’s performance of the D-minor Brahms Concerto with the Fairfax Symphony, TheWashington Post described it as “performance that went straight to the heart of the music.” With prodigious technique and musical aplomb, Dedova has earned important honors and awards. She was a winner of the Bach International Competition in Leipzig and “Pro Piano” International Piano Competition in New York, among others. In 1994, Dedova was named “The Honored Artist of Russia.”

A dedicated teacher, highly regarded for her masterclasses presented throughout the U.S., Europe and Asia, Dedova has prepared many winners of most notable international piano competitions. She taught at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory as a member of the full-time piano faculty for 27 years.

Dedova’s recording credits include releases for the Melodia label as well as for ConClaRec and Morning Storm labels. Her four-CD set Debussy: The Complete Solo Piano Music (May 2011, Centaur Records) earned praise from Fanfare Magazine, declaring Dedova “an artist of the highest caliber ... an unerring musical instinct and flawless technique.” American Record Guide commended her artistry and interpretation of the composer’s music, stating “her Debussy draws on a giant palette of sound colors.” In April 2012 this recording was announced a winner of the Global Music Award.

Since the release of the recording, Dedova has performed Debussy’s solo piano music in Basel, Switzerland, Tokyo’s Sumida Triphony Hall as well as at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in College Park, Maryland.

Dedova holds both Master’s and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees in Piano Performance from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory where she studied with Lev Oborin and Evgeny Malinin. She is a Professor of Music at the University of Maryland, College Park.