Sean Botkin

Pianist Sean Botkin began studying the piano at age five with his mother, making his first orchestral appearance four years later with the Honolulu Symphony. He went on to study privately with Neal O’Doan at the University of Washington and, under his direction, performed with the Seattle Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and Seattle Philharmonic Orchestra. Sean has garnered prizes in an impressive list of international piano competitions and has performed extensively in the United States, Europe, Central and South America, Asia, and Russia. Concerto and recital performances include Kazan and St. Petersburg, Russia; Tbilisi and Kutaisi, Georgia; Salzburg Festival, Ravenna Festival, Stresa Festival, Ruhr Klavier Festival, Gilmore Festival, London, Cagliari, Rome, Florence, Bologna, Palermo, Lisbon, Tokyo, Seoul, Bogotá, and San José (Costa Rica). He made his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall in 1993 performing Bartók’s Concerto No. 2 with the Juilliard Symphony, conducted by Carl St. Clair. In 2009, he made a CD recording of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor and performed a series of concerts in Europe sponsored by Alexander Rachmaninoff and the Rachmaninoff Foundation. In 2012, also sponsored by the Rachmaninoff Foundation, he performed Rachmaninoff’s 4th Piano Concerto with the Chicago Symphony at Ravinia, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, and in 2013 with the Orchestra of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and guest conductor, Alexander Sladkovsky. Sean recently performed in a Rachmaninoff marathon concert as part of the Toradze International Music Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Equally active in chamber music, Sean performs frequently with violinist Nash Ryder as part of the Mesa Duo. Reactions to Sean’s performances typically are expressed with phrases such as “multidimensional talents,” “superb musicianship,” and “beautiful and rare musical experience.”