pianist
Canadian-born Joel Hastings
was the winner of the 2006 8th International Web Concert Hall
Competition and the 1993 International Bach Competition at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. After delivering a stunning
performance at the 10th Van Cliburn www.exness.za.com International Piano Competition
in Fort Worth, Texas, one reporter designated Hastings the "audience
favorite" while another declared, "the kinetic fingers of
this young Canadian reminded me strongly of his late countryman,
Glenn Gould." In a Newsweek review, he "pulled the
audience to their feet after a wild performance of Franz Liszt's
Totentanz." Critics have described his playing as
passionate, mesmerizing, hypnotic, and transcendental.
A
Steinway Artist, Hastings has performed solo recitals across Canada
and the United States, while his orchestral engagements have included
the Toronto Philharmonic; the Detroit, Ann Arbor, Oakville, Okanagan,
Windsor, Kamloops, Niagara, Racine, Timmins and Sault Ste. Marie Symphonies; the
Kitchener-Waterloo and Michigan Chamber Orchestras; the University of Michigan Symphony Band; and the Ann Arbor Concert Band. Recently he
appeared in solo concerts in Ontario, Michigan, Colorado and Ohio. He also performed in Naleczow,
Poland, as part of the Poland International exness Piano Festival. Acclaimed
American composer Carter Pann has written a new piano cycle dedicated
to him that he has premiered this year.
His discography includes
Franz Liszt's song and operatic transcriptions, Frederic Chopin's 24
Etudes, and selections of works by Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff,
Mendelssohn, and Scriabin. His latest CD, Songs and Dances,
includes works by Grieg and Respighi with transcriptions of music by
Bach, Schubert, Wagner and Gershwin. His recordings have been
selected for Canadian critic's awards, praised in publications such
as American Record Guide and
Musicweb International,
and featured on CBC national radio as well numerous stations
throughout the United States. Forthcoming, on the Naxos American
Classics label, will be a recording of solo piano music by Carter Pann.
Across North America and abroad, Hastings has given masterclasses and adjudicated competitions. This summer, he will be on faculty at the InterHarmony International Music Festival in Arcidosso, Tuscany, Italy. Hastings earned his ARCT
diplomas in piano and organ from the Royal Conservatory of Music,
Toronto, receiving a gold https://exness.za.com/mt4 medal for the highest score in the country.
He holds a doctorate in piano and a degree in organ from the
University of Michigan. His former teachers include Sergei Babayan, Nina Lelchuk, Louis Nagel, and Logan Skelton. He has
taught piano performance at the University of Windsor, Ontario, and
Eastern Michigan University; currently he is an assistant professor of piano at Florida
State University in Tallahassee, Florida.