David Jalbert (pianist) facts for kids

David Jalbert is a talented Canadian pianist and a professor at the University of Ottawa. Many people, including the CBC, think he is one of the best classical pianists Canada has ever had!

Quick facts for kids David Jalbert
David Jalbert
Background information
Born	November 3, 1977 Rimouski (Quebec)
Genres	classical music
Occupation(s)	Pianist, professor of piano at University of Ottawa
Instruments	Piano

About David Jalbert

Early Life and Music

David Jalbert was born in Rimouski, Quebec, on November 3, 1977. He started playing the piano when he was just four years old. His father encouraged him a lot. When he was nine, he joined the Conservatoire de musique de Rimouski. There, he studied piano with Pauline Charron for almost 10 years.

David's Education Journey

David worked hard in his studies. In 1997, he earned his bachelor's degree from the Conservatoire de musique du Québec. He then received a scholarship to study for his Master's degree at the Université de Montréal. He studied with Marc Durand and finished his degree in 1999. He even won the Governor General's Gold Medal for being an excellent student!

After that, he continued his studies at the Glenn Gould School in Toronto. He learned from many famous teachers like Marc Durand, André Laplante, Leon Fleisher, and John Perry. In 2001, he went to the Juilliard School to study with Jerome Lowenthal.

David also attended several summer music programs. These included Orford Musique, Banff Centre for the Arts, Oberlin at Casalmaggiore, and Music Academy of the West.

David's Music Career

Early Successes

When David was younger, he won first place many times at the Canadian Music Competition. This happened in 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996. His big break came in 1997 when he won first prize at the OSM Competition. This led to many tours, including with Jeunesses Musicales du Canada. He also won other awards, like the CBC Young Performers Competition in 1999. He also won the Dublin International Competition in 2000 and the Canada Council for the Arts Sylva Gelber Prize in 2001.

Soon, David was performing a lot. He played solo concerts and chamber music. He also performed with major orchestras. These included the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

Recording Albums

In 2003, David Jalbert signed a deal to record music with Endeavour. His first album featured music by American composers John Corigliano and Frederic Rzewski. He worked with them to prepare for the recording.

In 2006, he recorded all the Nocturnes by Gabriel Fauré. This recording was later chosen as a top modern recording by France-Culture.

Playing with Others

David often plays chamber music, which is music for a small group of instruments. He plays with his trio, Triple Forte. He also performs with the wind quintet Pentaèdre and horn player Louis-Philippe Marsolais. They even recorded an album together. He also plays with cellist Denise Djokic. Their album Folklore was nominated for a Juno Award in 2005. David also works with bassist Joel Quarrington. He has performed with other great artists like Nicola Benedetti and Jean-Philippe Collard.

More Albums and Awards

In 2008, David signed with the ATMA Classique music label. His first album with them was a double album of Shostakovich's 24 Preludes and Fugues. This album was a big success around the world. It earned him another Juno nomination and an Opus Award for Record of the Year.

His 2012 recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations was also very popular. It was named "Canadian Record of the Year" by Ludwig van Toronto. David was nominated for two more Juno Awards. One was for the first album of Triple Forte in 2013. The other was for his album of Stravinsky and Prokofiev ballet music in 2018. These two albums also won Opus Awards.

David has also performed new music by composers like Dinuk Wijeratne. He is currently working on recording all of Prokofiev's Sonatas.

Teaching Music

In 2008, David Jalbert became a Professor of Piano at the University of Ottawa's School of Music. He became an Associate Professor in 2014 and a Full Professor in 2020. He also teaches at the Orford Music Academy. He has been invited to give lessons and masterclasses at many schools and festivals. These include the Glenn Gould School and Juilliard.

David Jalbert's Music Albums

Solo Albums

• 2003: Corigliano & Rzewski: Ballads & Fantasies
• 2006: Fauré: Complete Nocturnes
• 2008: Shostakovich • 24 Preludes & Fugues Opus 87
• 2010: John Adams, Philip Glass: Piano Music
• 2012: Bach: Variations Goldberg
• 2015: Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc: Le Comble de la Distinction
• 2017: Stravinsky & Prokofiev: Transcriptions pour piano
• 2020: Joseph Haydn: Les Sept dernières paroles du Christ en Croix

Collaboration Albums

• 2005: Folklore — with Denise Djokic
• 2006: The German Romantic Horn — with Louis-Philippe Marsolais
• 2009: L’Héritage Beethoven — with Louis-Philippe Marsolais
• 2012: Ravel, Shostakovich, Ives : Piano Trios — as a member of Triple Forte
• 2013: Francis Poulenc: Musique de chambre — with Pentaèdre
• 2013: Brothers in Brahms — with Joel Quarrington
• 2013: Rachmaninoff & Chopin : Cello Sonatas — with Denise Djokic
• 2017: Schubert : An Die Musik — with Joel Quarrington
• 2021: Paul Hindemith: Musique de chambre pour cor — with Louis-Philippe Marsolais, Louis-Pierre Bergeron, Pentaèdre, Simon Bourget and Xavier Fortin

Awards and Honors

David Jalbert has received many awards for his musical talent:

• First place at Concours de musique Clermont-Pépin (1996)
• First place at Concours OSM (1997)
• Second place at Concours national des jeunes interprètes de la Société Radio-Canada (1999)
• Governor General's Gold Medal (1999)
• Fourth place at Dublin International Piano Competition (2000)
• Award from the Sylva-Gelber Music Foundation (2001)
• Nomination at the Juno Awards for Folklore with Denise Djokic (2005)
• East Coast Music Award for "Best classical recording of the year" for Folklore (2006)
• Virginia-Parker Award from Canada Council for the Arts (2007)
• Opus Award for "Concert of the year - Regions" (2008)
• Opus Award for "Album of the year - Modern and contemporary music" for 24 Preludes and Fugues of Shostakovich (2008)
• Nomination at the Juno Awards for Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues (2008)
• Nomination at the Juno Awards for Ravel, Ives, Shostakovich: Piano Trios with Triple Forte (2013)
• Opus Award for "Album of the year - Modern and contemporary music" for Ravel, Ives, Shostakovich: Piano Trios with Triple Forte (2014)
• Opus Award for "Album of the year - romantic music" for Brothers in Brahms, with Joel Quarrington (2015)
• Opus Award for "Show of the year - Regions" (2017)
• Nomination at the Juno Awards for Stravinski & Prokofiev: Transcriptions pour piano (2018)
• Opus Award for "Album in the year - Modern and contemporary music" for Stravinsky & Prokofiev: Transcriptions pour piano (2019)