Darryl Friesen

Darryl Friesen has given acclaimed performances as a soloist and collaborative artist across Canada, the United States, Europe, China, and Brazil. He has performed as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, and as a collaborator and recitalist with many distinguished artists, including Elliot Madore, Andrew Wan, Allen Harrington, Catherine Daniel, Millicent Scarlett, Valdine Anderson, the Adaskin String Trio, and the Martha Graham Dance Company. Friesen’s debut album, CURLICUE: The Solo Piano Works of Karen Sunabacka, was released by Ravello Records in September 2022.

Friesen began his piano studies with Darrel Loewen at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts. After further studies with renowned pedagogue, Lee Kum-Sing, at the Vancouver Academy of Music, Friesen went on to receive B.M. and M.M. degrees in Piano Performance from the University of Manitoba as a student of well-known Canadian pianist, David Moroz, and subsequently completed his D.M.A. at the University of Illinois, studying under Fulbright scholar William Heiles and esteemed collaborative pianist and coach Dennis Helmrich. His doctoral studies were made possible through generous grants from the Canada Council of the Arts in 2005 and 2006, including the coveted Sylva Gelber Foundation Award, given annually to the most talented Canadian classical artist under the age of 30.

Friesen is in great demand as a soloist, collaborative artist, teacher, and clinician. He and his wife live with their four children in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where he teaches full time at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music.