Heavenly Pianist

Eyran Katsenelenbogen is a pianist who has performed throughout the world. In 2019 he released his latest solo album, Outstandards, to rave reviews with a concert tour that included venues in the U.S. and Europe. In 2020 Katsenelenbogen became a member of the Recording Academy. After teaching for the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education in Boston for twenty six years, Katsenelenbogen relocated to Florida in 2022 and has been teaching piano students locally in person and from all over the world online. In 2024 he was featured on the Jazz on Arts Axis Florida Studio Sessions video series produced for WUSF in Tampa, Florida.

Katsenelenbogen's recordings have been reviewed by jazz publications such as Jazziz, JazzTimes, Jazz Journal International and All About Jazz, which stated in its review of one of Eyran’s releases: "88 Fingers is truly a virtuoso's work. Perhaps Katsenelenbogen is most in league with [Art] Tatum for this fact: he sets the bar towards which other pianists must strive."

A classically trained pianist with immense admiration for Bach and a jazz style demonstrating his love for Tatum and Jarrett, Katsenelenbogen has performed and recorded in venues such as the Iridium Jazz Club, New York; Teatro di Marcello, Rome; the Tel-Aviv Jazz & Blues Festival; Bechstein Centrum, Hamburg; Mirrors Hall, Saint Petersburg; Scullers Jazz Club, Boston; Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA; Saint Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, UK; and the Glenn Gould Studio, Toronto. Radio and TV appearances include WERS, WHRB, WGBH and WUSF, USA; BBC Radio York, UK; Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA); and Radio Télévision Belge Francophone (RTBF), Belgium.

In addition to solo touring, Katsenelenbogen has also performed with his Pictures At An Exhibition: Classical Meets Jazz collaboration with Russian classical pianist Andrei Ivanovitch. Following performances in Germany and Russia, the American premiere of Pictures At An Exhibition: Classical Meets Jazz took place at Jordan Hall in Boston on May 24, 2009, and was released on DVD the following year.

In 2014, Katsenelenbogen has toured the east coast of China with pianist Tal Zilber. During their Piano Fight concert tour, Katsenelenbogen and Zilber performed at the Dalian International Conference Center, the Hai Tian Grand Theatre Hotel, the Weifang Culture and Art Center, the Taiyuan Poly Great Theatre, the Henan Art Center in Zhongzhou, the Wuhan Qin Tai Grand Theatre, the Xuzhou Concert Hall and the Hong Tai Center in Xiamen. In 2015, Katsenelenbogen returned to China for a solo tour titled Jazz and Classical Highlights China Solo Tour dedicated to his mother, Pnina Katsenelenbogen. During that tour he performed fifteen concerts in various venues, including the Cathay Pacific Arts Center Concert Hall, the Wuhu Grand Theatre and the Guangzhou Opera House.

From 1996 to 2022 Katsenelenbogen held a full time faculty position at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) Preparatory School and School of Continuing Education in Boston. At NEC, he has pioneered innovative techniques for teaching improvisation to students with special abilities and diverse needs. As the first piano teacher of jazz prodigy Matt Savage, Katsenelenbogen helped kick off Savage's recording career at the age of seven with their CD One is Not Fun, but 20 is Plenty. Katsenelenbogen passion for teaching continues today as he strives to serve and accommodate students from all walks of life, ages and backgrounds.

Eyran Katsenelenbogen is a descendent of Rabbi Meir Katzenellenbogen (c. 1482 – 12 January 1565) who was born in Katzenelnbogen, Germany. On July 28, 2012, Eyran Katsenelenbogen performed a concert at the town hall of Katzenelnbogen by invitation of its Mayor, Horst Klöppel, in celebration of the town’s 700th anniversary.

Katsenelenbogen was born in Israel and was first taught by Aida Barenboim, mother and teacher of pianist/conductor Daniel Barenboim. He went on to complete his music education at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, where he trained from 1993 to 1996 with Ran Blake, Paul Bley, Fred Hersch, Danilo Pérez, George Russell and Gunther Schuller.

Eyran has been committed throughout his life to improvisational piano music. "He is a passionate man who feels deeply, and he has the talent to express those feelings through his playing... You can not help but be moved by his performance." – Frank Rubolino, Cadence.