Ursula Oppens

Pianist Ursula Oppens has dedicated most of her career to performing, recording, and generally working to advance contemporary keyboard literature; many of the most prestigious contemporary composers have dedicated new music to her, including Charles Wuorinen and György Ligeti. In 1969, she made her New York debut and won first prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition. She founded the ensemble Speculum Musicae in 1971 and remained with the group until 1982. She was on the piano faculty at Northwestern University and taught courses at the Tanglewood Music Festival's summer music institute. Oppens' especially well-known recording catalog began in 1979 with her recording of Frederic Rzewski's monumental The People United Will Never Be Defeated!, which garnered a Grammy Award nomination, and Oppens has gone on to earn four more nominations. She returned in 2024, backing violinist Rolf Schulte on the album American Violin Music: 1947 to 2000.