Carl Cranmer debuted with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age nine, performing Mozart's Concerto in A Major, K.488. Since then, in addition to critically acclaimed solo recitals in Europe, Asia, and North America, he frequently performs chamber and concerto repertoire with equal aplomb. His unique diversity of repertoire extends from the sublime keyboard works of Sweelinck to the scintillating virtuoso piano works of the Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin and beyond. Cranmer has performed in concert with the Royal Philharmonic of England, the Gulbenkian Orquesta of Portugal, the Juilliard Orchestra and several other orchestras on the Eastern Seaboard. Cranmer has given concerts in several major venues in America and abroad. He has performed in Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Weill Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and Merkin Hall in New York, in the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and in the Academy of Music and the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Of his performance of the Liszt Concerto No. 2 in Avery Fisher Hall, James Oesterreich of the New York Times wrote: "He made light work of Liszt's fiendishly demanding octaves, scales, and glissandos, showing a fine lyrical strain to boot. And he did it all with lovely, controlled tone." Cranmer's performances have been televised in Madrid, Tokyo, Missouri and Philadelphia, and his solo recitals have been aired on NPR and radio stations in Tokyo, New York, Chicago, Montréal, Boston, and Atlanta. In addition to concerts in Austria, France, England, Canada, China and Japan, he embarked upon two solo favorably reviewed concert tours of the major cities in Spain in 1997 and 1998 rotating six different concert programs. In 2002, he was specially invited to perform the inaugural solo recital for the concert series sponsored by the American and Spanish Embassies in Panama City.
Cranmer concretized extensively with German virtuoso violinist and Naumburg Competition winner Axel Strauss, playing in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and most recently in Chicago and Seattle. Their performance titled "The Classical Hour, from Steinway Hall" was broadcast by NHK on public television stations in Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and China (available on DVD, Amadeus Press, © 2005). Cranmer has also collaborated with many other world-class musicians, including the Grammy-winning Takàcs Quartet, violinists James Ehnes, Jennifer Koh, Akiko Suwanai, baritone Randall Scarlata, and tenor Robert White. In the summers, he has performed at the Olympic Music Festival in Washington, Tanglewood, Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the Sommerakademie at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Cranmer has received considerable national and international exposure through his awards in national and international piano competitions. He was the Grand Prize winner of the 1994 Missouri Southern Piano Competition, and also received the Spanish Music Prize and the Finalist Prize in the 1995 Santander Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition in Santander, Spain. Cranmer won Fourth Prize in the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, was selected as a finalist in the Washington International Competition in Washington, D.C. He was a semifinalist in the Montreal International Piano Competition in Washington, D.C., the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris, France, the Naumburg International Piano Competition in New York City, and the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan. As a student at Juilliard, he was a laureate in the Gina Bachauer Award Competition, given to the four best pianists in the school, and received the Vladimir Horowitz scholarship at Oberlin.
Most recently, Cranmer recorded Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto in Moscow with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, with Ovidiu Marinescu, conductor, which will be released in 2008. He also performed live on WQXR's radio program "Live from the Gardens of Spain" at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City in June, 2007. In November, 2007 he gave the world premiere of American composer David Bennett Thomas's Piano Sonata No. 3, commissioned by the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Convention held at West Chester University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, which is also to be recorded in spring, 2008. Other recordings include Cranmer's debut recording, "Soirée," released on the Limoges label in 2005, featuring solo works of Poulenc, Fauré, Chopin, Liszt, Barber and Granados. He also recorded a CD with violinist and Galamian protégé Sylvia Ahramjian of the music of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, and others titled "Crossroads," released in 2004.
Cranmer gave several solo concerts and piano masterclasses in the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Guizhou University in China, and several major performing arts high schools in Seoul, Korea in summer, 2006. Also an outstanding teacher, Cranmer is an Associate Professor of Piano in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, maintaining an active concert career and an award-winning piano studio in the Philadelphia area. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and also was a full scholarship student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Cranmer received his Master of Music, Professional Studies and Doctor of Music degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City.
Cranmer concretized extensively with German virtuoso violinist and Naumburg Competition winner Axel Strauss, playing in Boston, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and most recently in Chicago and Seattle. Their performance titled "The Classical Hour, from Steinway Hall" was broadcast by NHK on public television stations in Taiwan, Korea and Japan, and China (available on DVD, Amadeus Press, © 2005). Cranmer has also collaborated with many other world-class musicians, including the Grammy-winning Takàcs Quartet, violinists James Ehnes, Jennifer Koh, Akiko Suwanai, baritone Randall Scarlata, and tenor Robert White. In the summers, he has performed at the Olympic Music Festival in Washington, Tanglewood, Pianofest in the Hamptons, the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival, and the Sommerakademie at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria.
Cranmer has received considerable national and international exposure through his awards in national and international piano competitions. He was the Grand Prize winner of the 1994 Missouri Southern Piano Competition, and also received the Spanish Music Prize and the Finalist Prize in the 1995 Santander Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition in Santander, Spain. Cranmer won Fourth Prize in the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, was selected as a finalist in the Washington International Competition in Washington, D.C. He was a semifinalist in the Montreal International Piano Competition in Washington, D.C., the Marguerite Long International Piano Competition in Paris, France, the Naumburg International Piano Competition in New York City, and the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan. As a student at Juilliard, he was a laureate in the Gina Bachauer Award Competition, given to the four best pianists in the school, and received the Vladimir Horowitz scholarship at Oberlin.
Most recently, Cranmer recorded Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto in Moscow with the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, with Ovidiu Marinescu, conductor, which will be released in 2008. He also performed live on WQXR's radio program "Live from the Gardens of Spain" at the Instituto Cervantes in New York City in June, 2007. In November, 2007 he gave the world premiere of American composer David Bennett Thomas's Piano Sonata No. 3, commissioned by the Pennsylvania Music Teachers Convention held at West Chester University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, which is also to be recorded in spring, 2008. Other recordings include Cranmer's debut recording, "Soirée," released on the Limoges label in 2005, featuring solo works of Poulenc, Fauré, Chopin, Liszt, Barber and Granados. He also recorded a CD with violinist and Galamian protégé Sylvia Ahramjian of the music of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, and others titled "Crossroads," released in 2004.
Cranmer gave several solo concerts and piano masterclasses in the Xi'an Conservatory of Music, Guizhou University in China, and several major performing arts high schools in Seoul, Korea in summer, 2006. Also an outstanding teacher, Cranmer is an Associate Professor of Piano in the College of Visual and Performing Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, maintaining an active concert career and an award-winning piano studio in the Philadelphia area. He is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and also was a full scholarship student at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. Cranmer received his Master of Music, Professional Studies and Doctor of Music degrees from The Juilliard School in New York City.