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Lambert Orkis, known as chamber musician, performer on period instruments, and interpreter of contemporary music, has appeared worldwide with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter since 1988, performed in recital with cellist Mstislav Rostropovich for more than eleven years, and has performed with cellists Lynn Harrell, Anner Bylsma, and Daniel Müller-Schott, and violinists Julian Rachlin and Jaap Schroeder. A multi-Grammy nominee, he was awarded Grammy and Choc de l’année awards with Ms. Mutter for the Beethoven and Mozart piano and violin sonatas recordings, respectively.

As founding member and fortepianist of the Smithsonian’s Castle Trio, he has given many performances including several cycles of Beethoven’s twenty-eight major works for fortepiano and strings, and recorded highly regarded CDs of Beethoven and Schubert trios. Solo discs as fortepianist of Schubert works for Virgin Classics have been recorded. On Bridge Records, two period instrument recordings have been released: three separate performances of Beethoven’s Appassionata sonata using two fortepianos and a modern piano based upon Viennese piano building designs, and music by Louis Moreau Gottschalk performed on an 1865 Chickering concert grand piano from the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Orkis’ most recent recording, Beethoven Past & Present, on Dorian Recordings and in collaboration with cellist David Hardy, contains two complete performances of Beethoven’s eight works for piano and cello performed on both modern and period instruments.

He is a founding member of The Kennedy Center Chamber Players, is principal keyboard of Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra, and is professor of piano at Temple University’s Esther Boyer College of Music and Dance. Mr. Orkis was recently honored with Germany’s Cross of the Order of Merit.

When not involved in musical activities, he and his wife, Jan, can be found at home with their three grey felines or somewhere in the wilds looking at and photographing birds.

Visit Lambert Orkis’s website at www.lambertorkis.com.