The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) today announces the appointment of pianist Jeremy Denk to its faculty. A friend of the Conservatory—Denk performed at SFCM's 2016 gala—he will lead a piano studio beginning in the 2019-20 academic year, joining other piano department instructors at SFCM including Paul Hersh, Sharon Mann, Corey McVicar, Yoshikazu Nagai, Jon Nakamatsu, and Garrick Ohlsson.

“Jeremy Denk is the one of the definitive artists, teachers, and minds of his generation,” says SFCM President David H. Stull. “His capacity to excel in multiple modes of artistic work is unparalleled and serves as an inspiration to all of us. I am honored to welcome him to SFCM and look forward to his tremendous work with our students.”

Jeremy Denk is one of America’s foremost pianists. Winner of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, and the Avery Fisher Prize, Denk was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Denk returns frequently to Carnegie Hall and in recent seasons has appeared with the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cleveland Orchestra, as well as on tour with Academy St. Martin in the Fields, and at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. In 2014, Denk served as Music Director of the Ojai Music Festival. He is known for his original and insightful writing on music, which Alex Ross praises for its “arresting sensitivity and wit.” The pianist’s writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New Republic, The Guardian, and on the front page of The New York Times Book Review. One of his New Yorker contributions, “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” forms the basis of a book for future publication by Random House in the US, and Macmillan in the UK. Recounting his experiences of touring, performing, and practicing, his blog, Think Denk, was recently selected for inclusion in the Library of Congress web archives.

In 2012, Denk made his Nonesuch debut with a pairing of masterpieces old and new: Beethoven’s final Piano Sonata, Op. 111, and Ligeti’s Études. The album was named one of the best of 2012 by The New Yorker, NPR, and Washington Post, and Denk’s account of the Beethoven sonata was selected by BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library as the best available version recorded on modern piano. Denk has a long-standing attachment to the music of American visionary Charles Ives, and his recording of Ives’s two piano sonatas featured in many “best of the year” lists.

Jeremy Denk graduated from Oberlin College, Indiana University, and the Juilliard School.