Burge, David

David Burge was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1930. A pianist and composer, he was educated at Northwestern University (B.Mus., M.Mus.), the Eastman School of Music D.Mus.Arts), and the Cherubini Conservatory in Florence, Italy (as a Fulbright student.) His long career in academia began with an appointment to the Northwestern University faculty in 1949 and finished at the Eastman School where he was Chair of the Piano Department for many years. In addition he has accepted visiting professorships not only at many universities and conservatories in the United States but also in Denmark, Turkey, New Zealand, Canada, Australia, Sweden, and Korea.

In more than a half century of concerts around the globe and in his several dozen recordings, David Burge has been heard in performances of music not only by traditional masters but also an imposing array of contemporary composers, many of whom wrote music especially for him. A close friend of Luciano Berio, George Crumb, William Albright, Ernst Krenek, and Donald Martino as well as many less known twentieth-century composers, he has done much to bring this music to a worldwide audience. His book, TWENTIETH-CENTURY PIANO MUSIC is considered the defining work on the subject.