Edward Neeman
The Australian-American pianist Edward Neeman has performed across five continents.
Critics have lauded him as a “true artist” with “an excellent technique” who “isn’t afraid
to put a distinctive stamp on whatever he touches, without resorting to mannerism.” A top
prizewinner of numerous international piano competitions, including first prize in the
Joaquín Rodrigo Competition in Madrid, second prize in the Southern Highlands
International Piano Competition, and third prize in the World International Piano
Competition, Dr. Neeman has performed with orchestras across Europe, Australia, and
the United States with conductors including Andrey Boreyko, Alan Buribayev, Chen Lin,
Ruben Gimeno, Enrique Perez Mesa, Nicholas Milton, Pascual Osa, and Vladimir
Verbitsky.
Dr. Neeman’s versatility as a performer, teacher, and academic has resulted in a wideranging an multifaceted musical career. Solo appearances in 2015 include performances
with the Orchestra of Northwest Arkansas, the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Cuba
and the National Capital Orchestra. An enthusiastic collaborative artist, he has performed
with musicians including Itamar Zorman, Abigail Fischer, Ben Capps, and members of
the JACK quartet. He maintains an active piano duo with his wife, the Indonesian pianist
Stephanie Neeman, and writes piano duet arrangements of popular melodies for the duo.
He performed with the American Ballet Theater in their 2014 tour of Japan.
A composer himself, Dr. Neeman is a passionate advocate for the music of our time and
has premiered works by composers such as Paul Chihara, Larry Sitsky, Alistair Noble,
and Reinaldo Moya. He has performed regularly with new music groups, including
AXIOM and the Metropolis Ensemble.
Dr. Neeman holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Australian National University, a
Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music, an Artist Diploma from the
College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from
The Juilliard School. His teachers have included James Tocco, Jerome Lowenthal,
Solomon Mikowsky, Santiago Rodriguez, Larry Sitsky, and Irena Orlov. As an extension
of his doctoral research into free improvisation and performing graphic scores, he
founded an improvisation group, the AIR Improvisers, and he has included free
improvisation in several of his recitals, often in conjunction with electronic instruments
and sampled sounds. His current research includes an innovation in the mechanism of the
piano’s sostenuto pedal, and its potential ramifications for pedaling technique.
Dr. Neeman regularly gives masterclasses around the world. He has been a jury member
for the Mozart International Piano Competition in Thailand, the Hong Kong Schools
Festival, and several festivals and competitions in the United States. He currently lives in
Cincinnati, Ohio, where he is on the piano faculty of the College-Conservatory of Music
Preparatory Division. He also holds the position of Artist Faculty at the ELMS
Conservatory in Jakarta, Indonesia.