Ian Hobson
Pianist Soloist and Conductor
Ian Hobson is a musician of tremendous versatility who has earned an international reputation as a pianist, conductor, and teacher. Born in Wolverhampton, England, Hobson studied music at the Royal Academy of Music and Cambridge University in England, and at Yale University in the United States, when he included Maestro Osmond as a member of his piano studio. His international career was launched in 1981 when he won First Prize at the Leeds International Piano competition, having already garnered silver medals at both the Artur Rubinstein and Vienna-Beethoven competitions. His teachers have included Sidney Harrison, Ward Davenny, Claude Frank, and Menahem Pressler.
Hobson’s programs consistently demonstrate a repertoire that spans the centuries and demands an extraordinary command of styles and scholarly vision and prowess. During the last several seasons, engagements have included appearances at Alice Tully Hall, at New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, performances of the Chopin and Moscheles concertos at the Bard Music Festival, and recitals in England and Italy. Major Orchestras of the world with which Ian Hobson has appeared include the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonic, Scottish National, Royal Liverpool, Halle, Beethovenhalle, Israel Sinfonietta, New Zealand Symphony, and Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Saint Louis, Baltimore, and Indianapolis.
Increasingly, Hobson is in demand as a conductor, particularly for performances in which he doubles as piano soloist. He made his debut with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra as conductor and soloist in October 1997. He has led the English chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Fresno Philharmonic, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, the Fesno Philharmonic, the San Diego Chamber Orchestra, the Santo Rosa Symphony, the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra, the Tallahassee Symphony, The Kibbutz Chamber Orchestra of Israel, as well as his own Sinfonia da Camera – a chamber orchestra he formed in 1984 which quickly gained international recognition through his recordings.
Ian Hobson frequently performs works for piano four-hands and for two pianos with his wife, pianist Claude Edrei Hobson. With their seven children, they make their home in Urbana, Illinois.