Dr. John Cobb (b.1942) Protégé of Claudio Arrau

Concert Pianist/Internatioal Performer & Recording Artist

Dr. John Cobb is an international performer and recording artist known for his broad interpretive range and technical command. The New York Times has praised his “solid technique, bronze tone and flexibility of interpretive style.” The Chicago Daily News commented, “the vibrations that filled the hall were less those of the piano than those of an exquisite musical mind.”

Dr. Cobb has been presented by Artists International on their Distinguished Artists series in New York City and has performed on recitals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City in addition to recording on original instruments in the museum’s collection, including a 1720 Cristofori, the oldest surviving piano in the world. He frequently performed on radio stations WQXR in New York City, WGBH in Boston, and WFMT in Chicago.

Dr. Cobb has worked directly with many of the most influential composers of our era and has performed internationally and recorded some of the most important works of contemporary music, including the premiere of Aaron Copland’s Sextet, conducted by the composer.

While completing a Doctor of Music degree in piano performance at Northwestern University, he also studied harpsichord with Dorothy Lane. Simultaneously, Dr. Cobb held a fellowship at the University of Chicago, where he pursued doctoral studies in musicology and was the pianist with Ralph Shapey’s Contemporary Chamber Players. He continues to perform a broad repertoire of chamber music and has collaborated with renowned artists such as The New York Philomusica, and Joel Smirnoff, former first violinist with the Juilliard String Quartet. Among Dr. Cobb’s local appearances was his performance of Samuel Barber’s piano concerto with the

Asheville Symphony, and frequent performances on the Piano Forte concert series at the Asheville Art Museum, including a recital with Jason Posnock, concertmaster of the Asheville Symphony, and a concert in 2011 celebrating the bicentennial of composer Franz Liszt. He has also been interviewed and performed multiple times on local NPR station WCQS in Asheville.

Dr. Cobb is a direct musical descendant of Franz Liszt through his teacher, pianist Claudio Arrau, whose teacher was a pupil of Liszt. Dr. Cobb has recorded for the Nonesuch, Desto, Spectrum, Coronet and Serenus labels. He presents Master Classes on piano technique and literature and he maintains teaching studios in Fairview and at Freeburg Pianos in Hendersonville. (828) 551-3810; jcobb227@bellsouth.net

Christopher Tavernier (b.2000) Protégé of Dr. John Cobb

Performing Artist & Concert Pianist

At the age of thirteen, Christopher Tavernier earned the distinction of being the youngest concert pianist in the history of North Carolina. Christopher performed Tchiakovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Tar River Philharmonic Orchestra in Rocky Mount, North Carolina for the opening concert of their fall 2013 season.

Christopher began his piano studies at the age of six, and now at fourteen he has won several competitions, including the junior division of the Charlotte Symphony’s Concerto Competition, the Symphony Orchestra of Augusta Georgia’s junior division, and the Appalachian Classical Music Association’s Young Artist’s Competition at the Sonata Festival in Johnson City, Tennessee. As a musical descendant of Franz Liszt through his teacher, Dr. John Cobb, Christopher

performed a series of concerts with Dr. Cobb in 2013, honoring this distinguished legacy. The “World Masterwork Series, preserving the musical lineage of Franz Liszt” concerts featured both solo and two piano music and was presented at venues in both North and South Carolina, culminating in the first annual benefit concert for the Mission Foundation for Early Detection of Breast Cancer at the Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, North Carolina. Christopher’s pianistic lineage comes through Dr. Cobb, who studied with Claudio Arrau, whose teacher was a pupil of Franz Liszt. Franz Liszt was a student of Carl Czerny, who in turn was a pupil of Ludwig van Beethoven. Hence, the musical lineage actually extends from Ludwig van Beethoven to Christopher Tavernier.

In addition to his broad solo repertoire, Christopher performs chamber music and has collaborated with The Rutherford Chamber Consort and the Student Chamber Consort. In the spring of 2014 he made his debut on harpsichord, performing the Triple Concerto in A minor, by J.S. Bach, with the Rutherford Chamber Consort. He also performed with the Student Chamber Consort on the “Hearts for the Arts” series at the Master Works Theatre in Hendersonville, NC. Christopher is a Perzina Artist, and he is a member of the Asheville Area Piano Forum.

Christopher is in the eighth grade at Hendersonville Middle School in Hendersonville, NC, where he is an honor student and a part of the AIG (Academically and Intellectually Gifted) program in Mathematics and Reading. Christopher is a member of the “National Junior Beta Club,” honoring his outstanding character and academic achievement, and he was selected for the Duke University Talent Identification Program, placing above the 95th percentile nationally. Christopher was nominated to attend the National Young Scholars Program (NYSP). In addition to maintaining a busy performance and competition schedule, he enjoys the arts, reading, writing, and playing competitive chess. (828) 707- 2604; waller_ka@yahoo.com