Brazilian pianist Arnaldo Cohen joins the IU School of Music Piano Faculty

Brazilian-born Arnaldo Cohen has been called one of the world's best-kept secrets, even though he has played in major concert halls throughout Europe and South America and with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the Bavarian Radio Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome. He has also performed under some of the world's greatest conductors, including Kurt Masur, Klaus Tennstedt, Kurt Sanderling, Edo de Waart and Yehudi Menuhin, who called Cohen "one of the greatest pianists I have ever heard."

Born to Persian and Russian immigrants in Brazil, Cohen was the first-prize winner of the 1972 Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. He later became a prominent figure in the European music world when he replaced legendary Argentinean pianist Martha Argerich at a concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.

Cohen made his triumphant New York debut during the 1996-97 season in a recital at the Frick Museum. He returned to New York the next season to perform a critically acclaimed recital at the Tisch Center for the Performing Arts. In addition to his solo appearances, he has performed in the Amadeus Piano Trio as well as with many string quartets, including the Lindsay Quartet, Chilingirian Quartet, Orlando Quartet, and Vanbrugh Quartet.

In the 2002-03 season, Cohen made several other U.S. debuts, including performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra. He made his debut at the Casals Festival in January 2003. During the 2004-05 season he will appear with the Baltimore Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and North Carolina Symphony.

Cohen's recent recordings have concentrated on the works of Liszt, Schumann and Brahms. His recording for the Swedish record company BIS Records, Three Centuries of Brazilian Music, was released in 2001 to great acclaim.

Cohen has been a fellow of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, and a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.