Master pianist Vladimir Feltsman—professor of piano studies and artistic director of PianoSummer at New Paltz—retired from SUNY New Paltz in December 2024, after nearly four decades on the Department of Music faculty.

His retirement also marks the end of PianoSummer at New Paltz, as Feltsman and his wife, Haewon, a PianoSummer coordinator, are relocating the annual festival to the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts.

“Looking back to the last 37 years, I am grateful for my long tenure here and content with the general outcome,” said Feltsman. “Haewon—an alumna of our college—and I wish SUNY New Paltz and all our community only the best of things, and hope that our small contribution of bringing PianoSummer to New Paltz has had a positive impact on our college’s reputation and provided a meaningful musical experience to all people who attended our concerts.”

Feltsman was born in Russia and trained at the Moscow Conservatory. He has performed with major American and European orchestras and at prestigious venues and festivals worldwide. His discography includes more than 60 albums, and his book, “Piano Lessons,” was published in 2019.

Feltsman’s relationship with New Paltz began in Moscow in the mid-1980s, where he met former college president Alice Chandler. The encounter would profoundly change Feltsman’s life, as Chandler invited him to join the New Paltz faculty in 1987.

“This teaching job provided a security and safe haven for me and my family,” reflected Feltsman. “It was here in New Paltz that the project dear to my heart, PianoSummer at New Paltz, was initiated with the blessings and support of then-President Alice Chandler and Provost William Vasse.”

Since its inception in 1993, PianoSummer at New Paltz—an international program dedicated to classical piano music—has attracted more than 1,000 students from around the globe to learn from world-renowned pianists. The institute featured recitals, master classes, individual lessons, lectures, and the Jacob Flier Piano Competition, a yearly contest named after Feltsman’s teacher and mentor.

“Many top-notch, world-renowned pianists played recitals here and conducted master classes, providing a valuable community service for New Paltz and our region,” said Feltsman. “From our humble beginnings, PianoSummer became one of the most highly regarded summer music programs anywhere.”