Seymour Bernstein

Seymour Bernstein shared great insight into his career and life in music during his NAMM Oral History interview. He proudly spoke of the first moment he placed his hands on the white keys of his aunt’s piano and how he felt the direction of his life was set in stone. Seymour studied with several remarkable teachers, including Clifford Curzon, Nadia Boulanger, and Alexander Brailowsky. He pursued a life as a classical pianist and dedicated himself to the craft. At the age of 50, he gave what he described as a very freeing final concert in order to focus on composing and teaching. He wrote several books, including With Your Own Two Hands: Self-Discovery Through Music and Monsters and Angels: Surviving a Career in Music, among others. In 2015, film director Ethan Hawke released his documentary Seymour: An Introduction, which traced the pianist’s life as a composer and teacher following his classical performance career.