I aspire to be a musician in the fullest sense of the word: someone who plays, performs and composes, as well as someone who understands the mechanics behind the music through a knowledge of theory and music history.
Early Studies and Musical Influences
I began learning the piano at age four, and during my school years studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston. As an undergraduate I concentrated in music and composition at Harvard, while continuing my piano studies in New York with Seymour Bernstein, my lifelong mentor and friend. During this period I appeared at music festivals including Tanglewood and Aspen, played live on WQXR New York, and was prizewinner of the International Stravinsky Awards and the New York Chopin Competition. My other most influential teachers were Joseph Kalichstein and Luise Vosgerchian, and I played in masterclasses for renowned figures such as Richard Goode and Byron Janis.
Academic Background
After finishing magna cum laude at Harvard (B.A. 1990), I had to choose between continuing as a performer at Juilliard or taking a more academic route with a Fulbright Scholarship to Oxford. I chose Oxford, where I was fortunate to study under Dr. Susan Wollenberg, who became my thesis advisor for both my M.Phil. (1992) and D.Phil. (1997). During this period, I also received an Erasmus Scholarship to study for a year at the Universität Wien, where I developed a passion for languages. (I speak both German and Hungarian.)
Publications and Teaching Career
As a D.Phil. student and beyond, I published numerous research articles (e.g. Music Review, The Leschetizky Association News Bulletin), contributed to The Hutchinson Encyclopedia of Music and Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, and wrote programme notes for Krystian Zimerman and Maurizio Pollini on Deutsche Grammophon.
I also tutored and lectured at Oxford University (Brasenose College, LMH, Music Faculty) and the Open University, covering a wide range of musical subjects.
Performing
Over the next 25 years, I divided my time between Oxford and Budapest, where I lived with my wife and three children. I gave numerous recitals in major venues of the Oxford area, including the Holywell Music Room, the Sheldonian Theatre, and the Church of St John the Evangelist (SJE). As a concerto soloist, I performed works by Beethoven (Concertos No. 4 & 5), Brahms (D minor and B-flat major), Rachmaninoff (Concertos No. 2 & 3), and Bartók (Concerto No. 3). I often combine my own compositions or transcriptions with traditional repertory in performance.
Compositions and Recordings
In 2007, my set of original compositions, Watercolors, was published by Manduca Music and debuted at the National Piano Teachers Association convention in Toronto. I have released two CDs: 10 Songs for My Children (2004) and Suite, Watercolors (2007), both available on iTunes and Spotify. I am also the author of the book Growing into Being (2015), and am currently working on a new book exploring stage fright.
Other Interests and Holistic Work
In recent years, my elder daughter won a choral scholarship to Queens College, Oxford, and continues to freelance as a singer. My son trained as a luthier, and my younger daughter is studying History of Art at Sussex University. With all three children now grown, my wife and I moved to the Larkhall area of Bath in 2024.
Beyond music, I’ve always been drawn to questions of health, consciousness, and inner transformation. In recent years, this has led to a parallel professional path: I now work as a extended water fast expert coach, supporting individuals through extended fasts ranging from 7 to 40 days. This work combines physiological insight, emotional depth, and integrative lifestyle guidance. You can learn more about that side of my work at waterfasting.org.
Tallis Barker, D.Phil., ARCM 