Frank Dupree

“Dupree flying around the keyboard with unrestrained brilliance”
- Grammophone Magazine

Artistic Partner: Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

Frank Dupree has established himself as a versatile pianist and conductor, who moves effortlessly between classical music, contemporary repertoire, and jazz. With his infectious energy and unbridled enthusiasm, he captivates audiences not only as a soloist, sharing the stage with renowned orchestras worldwide, but also as a play/direct artist, conductor, and leader of his own jazz trio. His recordings of Nikolai Kapustin’s piano concertos have attracted much international attention, with the New York Times labelling them as ‘one of the most entertaining and put-on-repeat recordings [of the] year’.

The 2026/27 season brings a series of highly anticipated debuts, including Lucerne Festival Orchestra with Riccardo Chailly in the festival’s opening concert, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig led by Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra with Vladimir Jurowski and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Performances lead Frank Dupree to renowned concert halls such as Seoul Arts Center, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus and London’s Wigmore Hall, and he continues his work with Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, where he has been Artistic Partner as conductor and pianist since 2023.

Frank Dupree’s orchestral engagements have brought him together with conductors such as Sir Antonio Pappano, Santtu-Matias Rouvali and Patrick Hahn, and orchestras including London Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, NDR Radio Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Gothenburg Symphony, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia and Sinfónica Nacional de México. He has performed at festivals including Lucerne Festival, Verbier Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, Heidelberger Frühling, Kissinger Sommer, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Music in PyeongChang Festival, and appeared at concert halls such as London’s Royal Albert Hall and Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center New York, Philharmonie de Paris, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Tonhalle Zürich, Konzerthaus Berlin and Prinzregententheater Munich. In chamber music, he shares the stage with inspiring artistic partners, among them Vivi Vassileva, Timothy Ridout, Noa Wildschut and Simon Höfele.

A further dimension of Frank Dupree’s artistry emerges through his trio, the Frank Dupree Trio. Together with Jakob Krupp (double bass) and Obi Jenne (drums), he explores the fascinating intersection between jazz and classical music. Original arrangements, improvisation and a shared curiosity for diverse musical languages shape the trio’s distinctive sound world, rooted in a deep understanding of both traditions.

Frank Dupree’s recent CD productions focus particularly on the works of Nikolai Kapustin with a complete recording of all six piano concertos with SWR Symphony Orchestra and SWR Big Band. For his interpretations of Kapustin’s piano concertos No.4 & No.5 he won the International Classical Music Award as well as the Diapason d’Or, and his recording of George Antheil’s works earned him the Opus Klassik. His commitment to contemporary music is further reflected in his latest releases featuring Daníel Bjarnason’s Feast and HK Gruber’s Piano Concerto, as well as recordings of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm and Christian Jost.

Frank Dupree is a Steinway Artist. He studied piano under Professor Sontraud Speidel and conducting under Professors Péter Eötvös and Hans Zender at the University of Music Karlsruhe.