“Steinway has, for me, represented the deepest and most conscious connection between instrument making craft and the needs of a musical artist in the classical tradition. Beauty of tone and the harmonious blendings of said tones, as well as their ability to respond to the subtlest nuances and changes of touch according to the will of the artist, have been the hallmarks of my experiences playing Steinway pianos. Their balance of registers, in terms of color, evenness, and smooth transition, the possibility to obtain a full dynamic range while never losing the roundness of tone, and a sustained, chiaroscuro vibration of the string, are some of the many factors that make Steinway pianos the ideal vehicle for human expression on the piano.”
Michael Davidman
Michael Leonardo Davidman is an award-winning American pianist whose performances have taken him to major stages across the United States and Europe. Known for his powerful command of the instrument, refined musical intelligence, and expressive depth, he is widely recognized as one of the most compelling pianists of his generation. In 2025, he was named Winner of the American Piano Awards and received the prestigious Christel DeHaan Fellowship, an honor that places him among the most distinguished pianists in the nation.
Hailed for playing of “thunderous authority and loads of interpretive nuance,” which “swept everything before it,” (Jay Harvey, Upstage, American Piano Awards, 2024), Davidman appears regularly as a soloist and recitalist throughout the United States and Europe. He has performed with leading ensembles including the Philadelphia Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Monterey Symphony, and the Orchestre Symphonique de la Garde Républicaine (Paris). His performances have been heard in such renowned venues as Salle Cortot and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Space, the Kimmel Center, and Ambassador Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Internationally, Davidman has appeared in Spain, Italy, Russia, and France, with major performances at the Long-Thibaud International Piano Competition in Paris, the Burgos International Music Festival, Teatro Alfieri, and the International Academy of Music in St. Petersburg. At Long-Thibaud, ResMusica praised his Tchaikovsky First Concerto for its “aristocratic sound, great lyricism, wide dynamic palette, and flamboyant interpretation,” awarding him both Third Prize and the prestigious Orchestra Prize (ResMusica, Paris, 2022). His semifinal performance was described as “breathtaking and flamboyant,” with “chiseled and fiery playing” (Pianiste Magazine, Paris, 2022).
As a chamber musician, Davidman has been hailed for his “delicate force… answering phrases as if in conversation,” in performances with the Dover String Quartet, with critics calling his Franck Piano Quintet “captivating” (Jay Harvey, Upstage, 2021). His performance of Franck’s Prélude, Choral et Fugue was described as “as fine a performance of this masterpiece as I ever hope to hear,” with “remarkable clarity of layered voices and a heart-stirring climax” (Jay Harvey, Upstage, 2024).
His concerto appearances have likewise drawn critical acclaim. At the Monterey Symphony, his performance of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 was called “dazzling, charming, and magnificently spontaneous,” with his technique so “beautifully controlled that the difficulties disappeared” (Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews, 2018). At the Music Academy of the West, his performance of Rachmaninoff’s Sonata was described as “electrifying,” marked by “sweeping yet refined sentimentality and pyrotechnical prowess” (Leonne Lewis, The Classical Music Journal, 2017).
Beyond his most recent American Piano Awards triumph and Long-Thibaud success, Davidman’s honors include First Prize at the Juilliard Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, First Prize at the New York International Piano Competition (Chamber Ensemble Division), First Prizes in both the Soloist and Concerto Categories at the Ithaca College Piano Competition, the Grand Prize at the LISMA Foundation International Music Competition, and First Place at the Mary Smart International Concerto Competition. He was also a Finalist of the 2021 American Pianists Association Competition and a recipient of a four-year scholarship from the Chopin Foundation of the United States.
A lifelong opera enthusiast, Davidman maintains a deep connection to the vocal world. He curates rare and historic recordings on his YouTube channel PucciniMD and frequently collaborates with singers in live performance. One critic captured this dual artistic identity perfectly after a Puccini transcription encore: “‘Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore’—who expressed it better than Puccini? And who can represent it as well as artists of Michael Davidman’s caliber?” (Jay Harvey, Upstage, 2024).
Michael is a Young Steinway Artist.