“He perches on the piano bench like an ungainly swallow, but the sounds that emerge from the Steinway are more beautiful than any a nightingale could make. David Syme, 51, is a consummate pianist ---- bold and forceful, subtle and tender, summoning whatever the notes call for, but injecting his own affinity, interpretation and flexibility.”

Read the whole Prague Post article about David.

David Syme
Photo by djonesphoto.com

DAIVD SYME, American pianist based in Houston, Texas and in Ireland, has emerged in recent years as a pre-eminent and definitive interpreter of the works of Gershwin.

His rendition of the Concerto In F is frequently labeled as the premier version of this piece, as described by James North in Fanfare Magazine:

“Oscar Levant, Earl Wild, Phillipe Entremont, Andre Previn and Helene Grimaud have made notable recordings of the Gershwin Concerto In F, but if I had to choose one today, it would be a live performance by David Syme with Herrera de la Fuente leading Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria.”

DAVID SYME has appeared at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and in major venues in 15 European countries, Canada and Mexico. He has recorded 25 concertos on 19 CD’s with such orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, the Vienna Symphony and Czech National Symphony. This season, he is performing the Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Schumann, Liszt E-Flat, and Rachmaninoff 3rd with orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe (a recent performance of the Rachmaninoff 3rd was heralded by the Arizona Daily Star as “nothing shy of spectacular”.

David Syme
David Syme with Van Cliburn and Ozan Marsh

The ’08-’09 season includes an appearance at Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall), and his first concerts in Japan and Korea.

A protégé of the legendary Jorge Bolet, he was schooled in the grand tradition of the great masters, and also studied with Ozan Marsh, Sascha Gorodnitzki, Ania Dorfmann, Louis Kentner and Constance Keene.

He has received career support from the La Gesse Foundation and Princess Cecilia de Medici, who present him in concerts in the U.S. and Europe