About Me
Brett Klaus (M.M. The Boston Conservatory, B.M. The University of Missouri), a native of St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A., began playing piano at the age of six. He recently graduated with his Masters in Piano Performance from The Boston Conservatory, studying under American pianist Max Levinson. Mr. Klaus’ primary teachers include Elinor Freer, Ayako Tsuruta, and Peter Miyamoto as well as additional private study with Andrew Cooperstock, Jerome Lowenthal, and Philip Kawin. He has also performed in masterclasses with such greats as Ilana Vered, Sergio diSimone, Henri Brassard, Mykola Suk, Idil Biret, Abbey Simon, Irina Morozova, Vladmir Shakin, Janice Weber, Thomas Lanners, and Michael Lewin.Mr. Klaus has performed at music festivals across the United States, Canada, and Europe including the Brevard Music Festival, Le Centre d’Arts Orford, The Las Vegas Music Festival, and Sound Encounters at the New England Conservatory, among others. This summer marks his European orchestral debut at Music Fest Perugia (Perugia, Italy) under the baton of Enrico Marconi, conductor of London's famed Covent Garden. He has also appeared in solo and chamber performances at colleges across North America including the University of Nevada – Las Vegas, Wichita State University, Webster University, Boston University, Harvard University, the Boston Conservatory, Southern Illinois University, Lewis and Clark College, and the New England Conservatory. Other performances have included a private concert at the Governor’s Mansion, Jefferson City, a live radio broadcast on WSQR National Public Radio, and a collaboration for a New Years Eve concert with pianist Laura Hall of ABC’s Whose Line Is It Anyway?.
An active chamber and solo musician, Mr. Klaus is a consecutive winner of both the Boston Conservatory Piano Honors Competition (2006-2007) and the Boston Conservatory Chamber Music Competition (2006-2007). Last summer, he was a full-scholarship recipient to the Brandeis Chamber Music Festival at Brandeis University, studying under the famed Lydian Quartet. Recent awards and honors include him being a finalist in the Churchill Piano (Boston), the Kankakee Valley Concerto (Chicago), and the Sigma Alpha Iota Competitions (St. Louis). He was a winner of the University of Missouri Chancellor’s Emerging Artist Competition and a second place winner of both the Missouri Music Teacher’s Association Competition as well as the Piano for Life Competition (St. Louis, Missouri).A frequent interpreter of contemporary music, Mr. Klaus recently performed a solo recital of works by living American composers George Crumb, Robert Muczynski, and Frederick Rzewski. He also performed this summer at the New England Conservatory’s Sound Encounters program, a music festival dedicated to the performance of 21st century music. He was the only pianist selected to perform at this festival and performed works by Juilliard-faculty composer Kenji Bunch, as well as a premier by America’s most frequently performed and commissioned composers, Lowell Liebermann. Mr. Klaus also recently premiered a work by Boston Conservatory faculty composer Andy Vores at the 2007 Boston Conservatory Gala which honored cellist, Yo-Yo Ma and composer, John Williams. Mr. Klaus is also a member of the “Juventas!†New Music Ensemble in Boston, a group dedicated to the performance of works by young, up and coming composers. He also performs regularly with Ludovico, a new music ensemble at The Boston Conservatory.Aside from solo and chamber music, Mr. Klaus is also a sought after vocal accompanist and musical director. He studied piano/vocal duo repertoire with Michael Strauss at the Boston Conservatory where he also participated in the Pianist Partnering Program -- a program designed for a select group of pianists who collaborate with several instrumental and vocal studios. Along with the Boston Conservatory Theater Department, Mr. Klaus music directed several shows which recently included the opera Bed and Sofa, based on the silent movie of the same title. He has also accompanied for the American Repertory Theatre Institute at Harvard University, SummerStage Inc., and the Jose Mateo Ballet Theater Company.
