Congratulations to pianist and writer Jeremy Denk, who has been named a MacArthur Fellow. Denk was among the 24 new MacArthur Fellows for 2013, selected by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The annual fellowship, often referred to as the "Genius" grant, offers an unrestricted award of $625,000 (increased from $500,000), paid out over five years, to individuals working in diverse fields and often across multiple disciplines.

Among this year's recipients, in addition to Denk, are a paleobotanist, a historian, an audio preservationist, an agricultural ecologist, an atomic physicist, a fiction writer, and a choreographer. All Fellows were selected for their achievement and the potential for even more significant contributions in the future.

“This year’s class of MacArthur Fellows is an extraordinary group of individuals who collectively reflect the breadth and depth of American creativity,” said Cecilia Conrad, Vice President, MacArthur Fellows Program. “They are artists, social innovators, scientists, and humanists who are working to improve the human condition and to preserve and sustain our natural and cultural heritage. Their stories should inspire each of us to consider our own potential to contribute our talents for the betterment of humankind.”

Jeremy Denk is a concert pianist enlivening the musical experience for amateurs and aficionados alike through his eloquence with notes and words. As a soloist and in concerti and chamber ensembles, Denk masterfully performs some of the most technically demanding works of iconic masters—Bach, Beethoven, Chopin—as well as compositions of storied twentieth-century artists—Ives and Ligeti—with virtuosic dexterity and imagination. Noted for his unexpected pairings of pieces in recital programs and recordings, he often draws out surprising themes and continuities between historically and stylistically disparate works. His live and recorded duets with violinist Joshua Bell, a longstanding tradition, are critically acclaimed and lauded for their extraordinary balance and original interpretation.

Nonesuch releases Jeremy Denk’s recording of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations this coming Monday, September 30, 2013, with a companion DVD containing video “liner notes,” with Denk demonstrating passages on the piano as he explains certain details of the iconic piece. In 2012, he made his debut as a Nonesuch artist with Ligeti/Beethoven, a pairing of Beethoven’s final piano sonata and selected Ligeti Etudes. The disc was named one of the best discs of 2012 by The New Yorker, NPR, and the Washington Post.

As a complement to his performance career, Denk is a gifted expositor. In the liner notes on his recordings, his blog, Think Denk—a spirited “life log” of technical analysis, informative repartee, and witty memoir—and articles in publications such as The New Yorker and The New Republic, he couples analytical thinking about the sound and structure of a piece with lyrical descriptions of the affect produced as one plays or listens to it.

Denk’s writings not only offer poignant and humorous meditations on such subjects as the complex relationship between protégé and mentor, they also demonstrate the connection between the process of writing and the practicing musician’s ceaseless efforts to find the most vivid and meaningful way to bring a particular phrase to life. An extraordinary pianist and essayist of keen musical intellect, Denk is engaging listeners and readers in a deeper appreciation of classical music.

Jeremy Denk received a B.A. (1990) from Oberlin College, an M.Mus. (1993) from Indiana University, and a D.Mus. (2001) from the Juilliard School. As a soloist, he has performed with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, among many others. He is currently on the faculty of the Bard College Conservatory of Music and Mannes College, The New School for Music.

Including this year's Fellows, 897 people have been named MacArthur Fellows since the inaugural class in 1981. Denk joins an esteemed group of past recipients, a number with ties to Nonesuch Records, including 2012 Fellow Chris Thile, soprano Dawn Upshaw (2007), John Zorn (2006), and director Peter Sellars (1983), a frequent collaborator of John Adams.

For more on the MacArthur Foundation and a complete list of this year's Fellows, visit macfound.org.

Watch the MacArthur Foundation video on Denk here: