SFCM is expanding its piano faculty with the appointment of two distinguished artists, Jon Nakamatsu and Corey McVicar. In addition, the Conservatory has named legendary pianist Leon Fleisher as artist-in-residence for the coming academic year. Beginning in the fall semester of 2016, Conservatory students will have the opportunity to study closely with six celebrated artists and performers, including current faculty members Paul Hersh, Sharon Mann, and department chair Yoshikazu Nagai.

Jon Nakamatsu was named Gold Medalist at the tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1997. He has appeared in recital at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and venues throughout the U.S. and Europe. He has collaborated with noted conductors and chamber ensembles, and performs regularly with clarinetist Jon Manasse as the Manasse/Nakamatsu Duo. The pair also serves as artistic directors of the esteemed Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival in Massachusetts. A pianist praised for combining elegance, clarity, and electrifying power, Nakamatsu graduated from Stanford University with a bachelor's degree in German studies and a master's degree in education. He studied piano privately with Marina Derryberry and has worked with Karl Ulrich Schnabel, son of the great pianist Artur Schnabel.

Corey McVicar has performed throughout his native Australia, including appearances with the Sydney and Queensland Symphony Orchestras, and in recitals, concerto, and chamber music engagements at venues such as the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. His competition successes have included the Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition and the Liszt International Piano Competition. A graduate of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music of the University of Sydney and the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University, McVicar pursued postgraduate piano studies in Germany and France, and worked with artists such as Ann Schein, Yvonne Lefebure, Leon Fleisher, and Murray Perahia. He has served on faculty at the Peabody Conservatory and Peabody Preparatory, and as adjunct piano faculty at Columbia University. He continues to teach on the faculty of SFCM’s elite Pre-College Division.

As artist-in-residence at SFCM for the 2016-17 academic year, pianist Leon Fleisher will work with piano students in group lessons, master classes, and coachings during four visits. By participating in conversations and other forums, all Conservatory students will learn from Fleisher’s experience on the international stage and from the remarkable trajectory of his career. A prodigy who made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 16, Fleisher was the first American to win the prestigious Queen Elisabeth of Belgium Competition and enjoyed a prolific recording career before beginning to exhibit signs of a neurological condition in 1965 which caused the fingers to curl into the palm of his right hand. Channeling his creativity in new directions, he mastered the piano repertoire for left hand, initiated a career in conducting, and renewed his dedication to teaching. Nearly three decades later, following successful treatment, Fleisher enjoyed an extraordinary career renaissance. In 2004, he released Two Hands, a Billboard top-five recording that shares its name with an Oscar-nominated documentary about his life story. Fleisher holds the Andrew W. Mellon Chair at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University.