Jeffrey Cohen

Jeffrey Cohen, College and Precollege Piano Faculty

American pianist Jeffrey Cohen has drawn international attention for the brilliance and artistry of his interpretations. Mr. Cohen was praised by The New York Times for the “lucidity and poetry” of his playing.

Both as soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Cohen’s performances have taken him to three different continents including appearances for The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Merkin Concert Hall, the Phillips Collection, Mostly Music Series of Chicago, National Arts Center in Ottawa, and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. In the summers, he has been a faculty member or guest artist at major music festivals including Bowdoin, Orford, MusicAlp International Academy, Summer Academy Voksenåsen, Adamant Music School, Amalfi Coast, Puerto Piano and Strings, Seoul Summer Music Camp, Shanghai International Piano Festival, and Beijing International Music Festival.  He has performed for broadcasts on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today,” the CBC Radio Network, Radio Canada, Radio France and WQXR. Mr. Cohen’s debut recording, a collection of French chamber music with his duo partner, violinist Lucie Robert, received critical acclaim in Fanfare magazine.

In addition to his concert activities, Mr. Cohen’s teaching gifts have established him as a leading piano pedagogue of his generation.  For over thirty years, Mr. Cohen has been a piano professor and member of the artist faculty at the Manhattan School of Music where he serves as Coordinator of Master Classes and Departmental Competitions.  In 2023, he was the recipient of the President’s Medal for Distinguished Service at MSM, the school’s highest teaching honor. He has given master classes at prestigious institutions throughout the world such as the Jacobs School of Music, Eastman School of Music, Central Conservatory in Beijing, Shanghai Conservatory, Seoul National University, the Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, Boston University, and Young Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore. Mr. Cohen has served as an adjudicator for numerous major national and international competitions.

A native of Tucson, Mr. Cohen studied at Indiana University where he worked with Menahem Pressler and received the coveted Battista Memorial Award.  He is a past Laureate of the Beethoven Foundation and a prizewinner of the Sherman-Clay Steinway Piano Competition.