23 Facts About Russell Sherman

Russell Sherman was an American classical pianist, educator and author.

Russell Sherman performed internationally, known especially for playing the music of Beethoven and Liszt.

Russell Sherman was born in Manhattan on March 25,1930, the youngest son of four.

Russell Sherman grew up in the Essex House hotel, where neighbors included Rudolf Bing, Lily Pons, Lauritz Melchior and Clifford Curzon.

Russell Sherman studied humanities at Columbia University, graduating with a bachelor's degree in 1949, and later studied composition, with Erich Itor Kahn.

Russell Sherman made his debut as a pianist at the Town Hall in New York City in 1945, at age 15, as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein.

Russell Sherman performed in recitals throughout the United States, Europe and South America.

Russell Sherman was a teacher at Pomona College and the University of Arizona.

Russell Sherman remained for more than half a century; among his students were Leslie Amper, Marc-Andre Hamelin, Randall Hodgkinson, Christopher O'Riley and HaeSun Paik, who is co-chair of piano at the school.

Russell Sherman was the teacher of Wha Kyung Byun, who became a well-known piano instructor, and his wife.

Russell Sherman was on the faculty of the New England Conservatory.

Russell Sherman taught Kathy Chi, Soojin Ahn, Ning An, Hung-Kuan Chen, Rina Dokshitsky, Hugh Hinton, Livan, Heng-Jin Park, Sergey Schepkin, Minsoo Sohn, Kathleen Supove, Christopher Taylor, and Craig Smith, Tian Ying, and Zenan Yu.

Russell Sherman became artist-in-residence at the conservatory, and taught as a guest at Harvard University and the Juilliard School in New York City.

Russell Sherman was first married to Natasha Koval, a pianist from present-day Ukraine; they had two sons, and were divorced.

Russell Sherman was a baseball fan and a photographer interested in trees, light and shadow.

Russell Sherman read science books, to think about challenging concepts.

Russell Sherman died at his home in Lexington, Massachusetts, on September 30,2023, at the age of 93.

Schuller, who had invited Russell Sherman to teach in Boston, made Russell Sherman record for GM records, which Schuller founded.

Russell Sherman became the first American pianist to record all Beethoven's piano sonatas and piano concertos.

Russell Sherman recorded an album entitled Russell Sherman: Premieres and Commissions, music composed for him in the 1990s, by Schuller, Robert Helps, George Perle, and Ralph Shapey.

Russell Sherman recorded Bach's English Suites, all Mozart's piano sonatas, Chopin's mazurkas, and music by Claude Debussy and Arnold Schoenberg.

Russell Sherman recorded many works by Franz Liszt, driven by a "lifelong battle to reconstitute Liszt as a serious composer".

Russell Sherman recorded the Transcendental Etudes in 1974, and again in 1990, explaining in the liner notes: "The poetic idea is central, and the virtuoso elements become so many layers to orchestrate the poetic content".