Richard Dowling

Hailed by The New York Times as an “especially impressive fine young pianist,” RICHARD DOWLING appears regularly across the United States and throughout the world in orchestral performances, solo recitals and chamber music collaborations. He has been acclaimed by audiences for his elegant and charismatic style of pianism which earns him frequent return engagements.

Highlights of Richard Dowling’s current season include solo and collaborative recitals in Mexico and throughout the United States.

In the United States, Richard Dowling has received nationwide attention for recitals seen on the PBS program Debut and has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today, while in New York City, he has performed with orchestra at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts’ Alice Tully Hall and in Central Park and presented recitals at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, 92^nd Street YM-YWHA, Steinway Hall, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dahesh Museum, Kosciuszko Foundation, St. Bartholomew’s Church, Trinity Church, Metropolitan Club, Brooklyn Conservatory, Concordia College and The Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center. His December 2005 debut with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra led to an immediate re-engagement to collaborate with Music Director Neal Gittleman on a rarely heard Romantic gem, the Piano Concerto in E by Moritz Moszkowski.

Richard Dowling has established himself internationally with performances in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and South Africa. In the Far East, he has performed critically acclaimed recitals at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Singapore’s Victoria Concert Hall and the Istana Auditorium in Kuala Lumpur. He has also conducted guest master classes at the LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts and Young Musicians’ Society in Singapore and Hong Kong’s Academy for the Performing Arts, as well as at the Shanghai Conservatory.

Richard Dowling enjoys a special affinity for France and its music, art and culture. He studied at the Conservatoire de Musique in Nice with the renowned French pianist Jeanne-Marie Darré, participated as a guest artist in the La Gesse Summer Festival, and received the Grand Prix from the French Piano Institute in Paris. He made his formal Paris recital debut at the Salle Cortot, and was subsequently invited to perform at the French Embassy in Washington, DC.  Maurice Ravel and his music were the subjects of Mr. Dowling’s doctoral dissertation. His repertoire includes the complete solo and chamber piano music of Ravel and many works by Debussy, Fauré and Saint-Saëns.

Mr. Dowling has produced his own critically-revised edition of Ravel’s Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano based on the composer’s original manuscript. He is currently preparing a new authoritative multi-volume edition of the complete solo piano works of Ravel for Masters Music Publications. In recognition of his dedication to French musical art, Mr. Dowling was officially inducted as a Chevalier of the renowned Company of Musketeers of Armagnac, a honor society originally founded in the 17^th century by D’Artagnan in southwest France. 

A competition veteran and frequent prizewinner, Richard Dowling has been awarded first place in, among others, the San Antonio International Keyboard Competition, New Orleans International Piano Competition, Louise D. McMahon International Music Competition (OK), Oklahoma Symphony Concerto Competition, Shreveport Symphony/Wideman Concerto Competition, Midland/Odessa National yong Artist Audition and the Brazos Valley (TX) Symphony Young Artists Competition. He was also declared National Winner of the prestigious Music Teachers National Association Collegiate Artist Competition. Mr. Dowling was the recipient of a special award from the National Federation of Music Clubs, recognizing his outstanding performances of American music.

Richard Dowling celebrated the 1998 centennial of the birth of George Gershwin by performing his complete solo and orchestral works for piano. In 2001, he released Sweet and Low-Down, a Klavier Records compact disc containing virtually all of the solo piano works by Gershwin. He has also recorded two CDs of popular piano works by Chopin for Piano Productions Recordings and, with his duo-partner, cellist Evan Drachman, three CDs of cello and piano works: A Frog He Went a-Courting, Pairs of Pieces; Infinity; Romance and Revelation. In  2004, Klavier Records released World’s Greatest Rags, followed, in 2007, by Rhapsody in Ragtime, two discs of Mr. Dowling’s favorite American ragtime, novelty, stride and jazz piano solos. In 2010, Museum Music issued Music of Old New York - Ragtime Music & Songs from Turn-of-the-Century New York.

While studying at Yale University, Richard Dowling was honored with the Lockwood Award for performing the best recital and the Bruce Simonds Award for outstanding solo and ensemble playing. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in piano performance from The University of Texas and has held positions as Artist-in-Residence at Lamar University in Texas and at The Harid Conservatory of Music in Boca Raton, Florida. His principal teacher was Abbey Simon. In the fall of 2009, he was appointed to the Board of the Yale University School of Music.

In addition to his regular concert performances, Richard Dowling is frequently heard as a member of the artist roster of The Piatigorsky Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing live classical music to audiences across America. Over the past seventeen years he has performed over 800 recitals under its auspices. 

Richard Dowling makes his home in Houston and New York City.

www.richard-dowling.com             www.dowlingmusic.com