Donald Sosin

Piano and synthesizer

Book Donald Sosin for a groupmuse
New York, NY

Donald Sosin

Piano and synthesizer

About

Piano and composition University of Michigan B. Mus.
Composition Columbia University M.A.

Played chamber music at Aspen Festival and accompanied singers in Jan De Gaetani's classes there and at SUNY Purchase.

Had a composer's collective in NYC. NY Times review:  "The most exciting moments of the evening came with Donald Sosin's 'Yes, Indeed!', an ebulliently eclectic combination of jazz, minimalism and high spirits." - Tim Page, New York Times

I have played a great deal of chamber music: violin, flute, cello sonatas, and worked with mixed ensembles of varied kinds.

As a classical pianist, though I have played Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Debussy, Ravel, Prokofiev and Joplin, my specialty is creating pieces on the spot in the style of any composer. This makes for a unique program where the audience can give me suggestions and be instantly rewarded with a waltz in the style of Chopin based on their phone number, or a "Hey, Jude" suite in the styles of Mozart, Stravinsky, and Verdi.

For many years people have come to hear me accompany silent films at New York's Museum of Modern Art. With groupmuse I can bring the films to you. Silent films are not all honky-tonk piano. I have created film scores in every conceivable style, from Renaissance dance music to thrilling classical, romantic and contemporary moods for an enormous variety of silent films from all over the world, from hysterical shorts by Keaton and Chaplin to exquisite dramas by Murnau, Ozu, Feuillade and Griffith.

See my group page for information about the Donald Sosin Ensemble, with voice and chamber musicians.

Music

Bach English Suite in a minor, various preludes and fugues
Beethoven Sonata in D Op. 7
Beethoven Moonlight Sonata
Beethoven Sonata in Eb Op. 31, No. 3
Mozart Sonata in G K 283
Mozart Sonata in Bb K. 333
Mozart Sonata in Bb K. 570
Chopin group of mazurkas
Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin
Ravel Sonatine
Debussy group of Preludes
Prokofiev Peter and the Wolf (arr. for piano) with audience participation
Joplin selected rags

Improvisations in the styles of all the above composers and dozens more based on your suggestions!
For example: a Beatles song in the style of Bach, Brahms or Copland. Or a sonatina based on your
phone number. Or an operetta with the lyrics of whatever's on a scrap of paper in your pocket.

Improvised music in any style to accompany a classic silent film shown on your screen

Videos

Audio

Ensemble profiles