Lambert Orkis (born 1946,

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

) is an American classical pianist. His career has been based on many differing roles: ranging from being the collaborative pianist for

Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. Born and raised in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg, Mutter started playing the violin at age five and continued studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her car ...

for works of piano and violin

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

since 1988 (mainly containing sonatas for violin and piano by

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

, and

Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

). In 2000, the duo was honored by a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for their interpretation of the Beethoven violin sonatas. For eleven years, Orkis had also collaborated with the famous cellist (and conductor)

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

recitals. From this collaboration, Rostropovich created a permanent position for Orkis, appointing him as first piano instrumentalist member of the

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

during his tenure as a chief conductor in Washington, D.C. A third specialty of Lambert Orkis are his performances on period instruments but is also a specialist in contemporary music, having collaborated with the cellists

Lynn Harrell Lynn Harrell (January 30, 1944 – April 27, 2020) was an American classical cellist. Known for the "penetrating richness" of his sound, Harrell performed internationally as a recitalist, chamber musician, and soloist with major orchestras o ...

Anner Bylsma Anner Bylsma (born Anne Bijlsma; 17 February 1934 – 25 July 2019) was a Dutch cellist who played on both modern and period instruments in a historically informed style. He took an interest in music from an early age. He studied with Carel van ...

and

Daniel Müller-Schott Daniel Müller-Schott (born 2 November 1976) is a German cellist. Born in Munich, he studied with Walter Nothas, Austrian cellist Heinrich Schiff and British cellist Steven Isserlis. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter personally coached him in her ...

, as well as with the violinists

Julian Rachlin Julian Rachlin (born 8 December 1974) is a Lithuanian-born violinist, violist and conductor. Biography Born in Vilnius to a Jewish family, he emigrated in 1978 with his musician parents to Austria. In 1983, he entered the Konservatorium Wien an ...

and

Jaap Schroeder Jaap may refer to: * Jaap (given name), Dutch given name (short for "Jacob") * Johnny Jaap Johnny Jaap (August 12, 1895 – May 1, 1974) was a Scottish-American soccer inside right. He played seven seasons in the American Soccer League and one ...

. Contemporary composers such as

George Crumb George Henry Crumb Jr. (24 October 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an American composer of avant-garde contemporary classical music. Early in his life he rejected the widespread modernist usage of serialism, developing a highly personal musical ...

Richard Wernick Richard Wernick (January 16, 1934 – April 25, 2025) was an American composer. He is best known for his chamber and vocal works. His composition ''Visions of Terror and Wonder'' won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for Music. Life and career Wernick be ...

and James Primrosch have written piano compositions especially for him. Lambert Orkis is professor of piano of the

Boyer College of Music and Dance Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation at the Grace Baptist Church of Ph ...

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

References

External links

The Lucerne Festival on Lambert Orkis

Website of Lambert Orkis
1946 births Living people Musicians from Philadelphia American male classical pianists American male pianists Temple University faculty 20th-century American classical pianists 21st-century American classical pianists Classical musicians from Pennsylvania Classical musicians from New Jersey 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians {{pianist-stub