Frank Dupree, winner of the International Classical Music Award and the Opus Klassik, stands as one of the most versatile pianists and conductors of the new generation. Known for his infectious energy and unbridled enthusiasm, Dupree captivates audiences not only as a soloist, sharing the stage with renowned orchestras worldwide, but also as a play/direct artist, conductor, and the leader of his own jazz ensemble, the Frank Dupree Trio. Dupree’s recordings of Nikolai Kapustin’s piano concertos have attracted much international attention (New York Times: “One of the most entertaining and put-on-repeat recordings [of the] year”). As of 2023, Frank Dupree has been the Artistic Partner of the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn.
In the 2023-2024 season, Frank Dupree will give his solo debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra (Kapustin & Tchaikovsky / Santtu-Matias Rouvali), Malmö Operaorkester (Mozart play/direct), NDR Radiophilharmonie (Gershwin / Eiji Ōue), Staatsorchester Mainz (HK Gruber) and Sinfonieorchester Wuppertal (Gershwin / Patrick Hahn). Recitals and chamber music projects will take him to Lincoln Center in New York, London’s Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Konzerthaus Berlin, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden and Brucknerhaus Linz.
Highlights of Frank Dupree's career include performances with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra, Orchestre national d'Île-de-France, Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Trondheim Symfoniorkester, Malmö SymfoniOrkester, Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra and the Sinfónica Nacional de México. Frank Dupree regularly collaborates as soloist and conductor with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, Dortmunder Philharmoniker, Essener Philharmoniker, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Staatskapelle Weimar and Sinfonieorchester Liechtenstein, and many more.
On past tours, Dupree has performed at the Verbier Festival, Lucerne Festival, Vaduz Classic, Beethovenfest Bonn, Heidelberger Frühling, Kissinger Sommer, Kurt Weill Fest, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, as well as at renowned concert halls such as the Royal Albert Hall, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the Tonhalle Zürich.
Frank Dupree is a passionate chamber musician who effortlessly crosses genre boundaries, and the same can be said for his Frank Dupree Trio: together with Jakob Krupp (double bass) and Obi Jenne (drums) Dupree explores the fascinating intersection between jazz and classical music. In addition, Frank Dupree continues to develop innovative and unique programmes catered towards a number of exciting chamber collaborations, with particularly flourishing artistic relationships with his fellow rising stars; such as Kian Soltani, Vivi Vassileva, Timothy Ridout, Simon Höfele, Noa Wildschut and Pablo Barragán.
Frank Dupree's current CD productions focus predominantly on the works of Ukrainian-born composer Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020). His interpretations of Piano Concerto No. 4 (Württemberg Chamber Orchestra Heilbronn / Case Scaglione) and Piano Concerto No. 5 (Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin / Dominik Beykirch) have earned him both the International Classical Music Award and the Diapason d'Or. Gramophone Magazine recognised Dupree's ‘flamboyant brilliance’; WDR further praised his rendition of Piano Concerto No. 5 as 'fantastic,' noting that the performance perfectly captures 'the drive and pure joy [...] of this music.' Dupree's avid interest in contemporary music is reflected in his world premieres, both recorded and on stage, and close collaborations with composers such as Wolfgang Rihm, HK Gruber, Péter Eötvös, and Christian Jost.
Born in 1991 in Rastatt, Germany, Dupree began taking piano and percussion lessons at an early age. He later studied piano under Professor Sontraud Speidel and conducting with Professors Péter Eötvös and Hans Zender at the University of Music Karlsruhe. In 2012, he was awarded first prize at the International Hans von Bülow Competition in Meiningen for his dual-role performance as pianist and conductor interpreting Beethoven. In 2014, Dupree was the sole prizewinner at Deutscher Musikwettbewerb and also received scholarships from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben and the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. He gained valuable insights from master classes with Emanuel Ax, Menahem Pressler, Ferenc Rados, and Gábor Takács-Nagy and has been assistant in projects to Sir Simon Rattle, François-Xavier Roth, and Mario Venzago. Frank Dupree is a Steinway Artist.