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Allison Brewster Franzetti, piano
2018 Latin Grammy® Nominee for Best Classical Album and 2008 Grammy® Nominee for Best Instrumental Soloist without Orchestra, pianist Allison Brewster Franzetti has received international acclaim from critics and audiences alike for her stunning virtuosity and musicality, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Her performances include the Latin Grammy® Awards television broadcast, the Grammy® Awards Classical Music Tribute to Earl Wild and Lang Lang at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, the Robert Schumann Festival at the Marcella Sembrich Museum in Lake George, New York, the Campeche Festival in Mexico and at the opening of the VI International Festival of Music at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has also been a guest artist with the Brooklyn Philharmonic (featured on NBC-TV News), the Long Island Philharmonic, the English Sinfonia, the City of Prague Philharmonic, the Denver Symphony, the Colonial Symphony playing her own arrangement for solo piano and orchestra of Camille St. Saens’ “Carnival of the Animals,” the European Women’s Orchestra, the New Jersey Intergenerational Orchestra and the Adelphi Orchestra, amongst others. She has played the world premiere of “Piano Concerto No. 2” by Carlos Franzetti at the Teatro Colon with the Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires conducted by Javier LoGioia Urbe, commissioned for Dr. Brewster Franzetti as part of their 50th anniversary season, the European premiere with the Janacek Philharmonic conducted by Dennis Burkh, and the US premiere with the Queens Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Constantine Kitsopoulos. Solo recital performances include her critically acclaimed debuts at Merkin Hall in New York and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, her recital debut at the prestigious Wigmore Hall in London, and tours throughout the US, Mexico, Europe, Argentina and Japan. Ms. Brewster Franzetti is the piano soloist on the soundtracks of the American/Argentine film, “Tango Fatal,” the Argentine/French film, “Ronda Nocturna,” and the French/Spanish film, “Dans le rouge du couchant.”
Her latest CD with Carlos Franzetti, “Buenos Aires Noir,” nominated for a Latin Grammy® Award, was released in February 2018 on Amapola Records, and was named “Classical CD of the Month” by Jazz Station. Their CD, “Luminosa,” was named one of the 25 Best Instrumental Albums of 2017 by Jazz Station. "Franzetti Plays Franzetti," features solo piano and chamber music by Carlos Franzetti; one of the compositions, “Capriccio,” won a Latin Grammy® Award in 2015. Naxos Records released a complete boxed set of "Mieczyslaw Weinberg - Complete Piano Works" in January 2015. 2014 CDs include her solo recording, "Alma - Piano Music of Argentina," on Amapola Records and "Song of My Nights - The Flute Music of David Maslanka" with flutist Kimberly McCoul Risinger. 2012 and 2013 marked the release of 4 individual CDs dedicated to the complete piano music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg on the new Naxos label, Grand Piano and “Pierrot et Colombine” on Sunnyside Records. 2011 CDs include "Alborada," recorded with composer/pianist Carlos Franzetti and the City of Prague Philharmonic for Amapola Records, and "Quiet City," recorded with saxophonists Christopher Brellochs and Paul Cohen, for Sono Luminus Records. Other CDs include "Maurice Ravel - Ma Mere L'Oye, Valses nobles et sentimentales and Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2" on Amapola Records; “Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 2” by Carlos Franzetti on Amapola Records; the Grammy®-Nominated CD, “20th Century Piano Sonatas,” on the Naxos label; a CD recorded with flutist Kimberly McCoul Risinger, “Sonata Fantasy,” on Albany Records; a double concerto CD, “Reflexiones,” on Amapola Records; the 2003 Grammy® Award Nominee for Best Classical Crossover Album, “Poeta de Arrabal” on Amapola Records the 2002 Latin Grammy® Award Nominee for Best Tango Album, “Tango Bar,” on Chesky Records, “South American Landscapes” on Premier Recordings, “Scriabin/Ravel/deFalla” on Amapola Records and “The Unknown Piazzolla” on Chesky Records. Also available on Amapola Records is her world-premiere recording of “Piano Concerto No. 2” by Carlos Franzetti with the Janacek Philharmonic. She is a featured soloist on the 2001 Latin Grammy® Award Winner, “Tango Fatal” on Amapola Records, “Images Before Dawn – Symphonic Music of Carlos Franzetti” on Premier Recordings, and the 1997 Grammy® Award Winner, “Portraits of Cuba” on Chesky Records. She has recorded two major works by Roberto Sierra, “El Mensajero de Plata” and “Bayoan,” with the Bronx Arts Ensemble for Newport Classics and Albany Records. She has also recorded Latin American and English chamber music for the Musical Heritage Society.
An accomplished accompanist and chamber musician, Allison Brewster Franzetti has collaborated with some of the finest performers, composers and directors in the world, including Sir James Galway, John Corigliano, Stephen Paulus, Lowell Liebermann, Melinda Wagner, Paul Moravec, Jennifer Higdon, Aaron Jay Kernis, John Musto, Robert Aldridge, Victoria Bond, David Maslanka, Carlos Franzetti, Herschel Garfein, Paquito D’Rivera, Ruben Blades, Wenzel Fuchs, Benny Goodman, Julius Baker, Ransom Wilson, Eugenia Zukerman, Nestor Torres, Robert White, Mark Morris, and members of major US and international symphony orchestras. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, festivals in the United States, Mexico and Europe, and on radio and television.
Dr. Brewster Franzetti is the author of synopses for the book, “101 Opera Librettos,” published by Black Dog & Leventhal in New York. She writes liner notes for Amapola Records, Chesky Records, Sunnyside Records, Milan Records, and Premier Recordings.
As composer, Dr. Brewster Franzetti’s compositions are included on the recordings “Poeta de Arrabal” and BMG Kidz. She has collaborated extensively with librettist/lyricist June Rachelson-Ospa on several projects, notably “The True Colors of Weedle,” “Hyde and Seek,” and “Before the Curtain.” “First Comes Love,” written with Diane Seymour and Amanda George, was presented by Musical Theatre Works in several cities throughout the United States.
Born in New York City, Allison Brewster Franzetti received a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music, a Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School, and a Doctorate in Musical Arts from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. She has won first prizes from the Paderewski Foundation and the Piano Teachers Congress of New York as well as awards from the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Denver Symphony Orchestra. She was the recipient of the Arthur G. Humphrey Memorial Prize, two HEART (History, Education, Arts – Reaching Thousands) Grants from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Starr Foundation and Executive Women of New Jersey. Ms. Brewster Franzetti was appointed Concert Artist in Piano and Chamber Music at Kean University in 2001 and was elected to the honor society Phi Kappa Phi in 2002. Kean University bestowed its first Graduate Commencement Performing Artist Award on Ms. Brewster Franzetti in 2003. She joined the faculty of Montclair State University in 2007 and was appointed Part-Time Lecturer at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University in 2010. Ms. Brewster Franzetti is currently Director of Chamber Music for the Extension Division, Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University.