When Sam Rotman made his debut at the age of 16 with the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra before an audience of 6,000, the Baldwin Keynote Magazine wrote, “Sam Rotman is a pianist with abundant potential.”
Mr. Rotman received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School in N.Y.C. While a student, he was the recipient of nine awards in the form of grants, scholarships and prizes. Subsequently, he has been among the winners in five piano competitions, both in the United States and Europe. The most prestigious award was that of Laureate Winner in the 4th International Beethoven Competition in Vienna, Austria. In 1978, Mr. Rotman participated in the 6th International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, Russia. In May 2016, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree from the Master’s College where Dr. John MacArthur is President. He is the only recipient of such an Honorary Doctorate in the school’s history. Mr Rotman has given over 2900 performances in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, Eastern and Western Europe, Southeast Asia, South Africa, India, China, and Russia, totaling 61 countries.
Mr. Rotman has devoted a specific area of his musical life to the study and performance of the works of Beethoven. Beginning with a series of all Beethoven concerts in 1970 (the Beethoven bi-centennial), he was presented on Public Broadcast System in a special Beethoven concert. Mr. Rotman continues to perform the works of Beethoven in recital and with orchestra.
Mr. Rotman has served on the jury of international piano competitions, both in the United States and Europe. For almost twenty years he was a director of the Piano Department and served as director of the D’Angelo School of Music at Mercyhurst University for ten years.
Mr. Rotman has released four recordings:
• Portrait of a Piano with the works of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff.
• Impressions: Piano Portraits of Claude Debussy;
• Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition with Piano Works by Rachmaninoff, and
• Piano Music of Beethoven.
A video entitled Sam Rotman, Concert Pianist: The Music and Testimony of a Jew for Jesus has also been produced. His testimony has been dramatized for radio by Unshackled and is also available.
Reviewers in the United States, Sweden, and France have noted the following about Mr. Rotman’s performances:
“Mr. Rotman is a pianist of no small talent. He possesses a thoroughly prepared technique. He is a mature and thoughtful interpreter and his playing is convincing and alive. He enjoys his work and is able to communicate his ideas and his enthusiasm to his audience. His playing was profound, expressive, dynamic, and exciting.”
“Mr. Rotman’s interpretation of the Beethoven “Pathetique” Sonata left you with nothing more to wish for as far as getting close to the composer’s dramatic way of gaining his listeners. All of the many details of this music were being expressed. Every piece was played with the same brilliance.”
“Pianist Sam Rotman gave a magnificent recital in Albert Camus Hall. Throughout the recital he demonstrated not only an exceptional virtuosity but also a beautiful clarity in playing, never letting a theme be drowned in the context.”
His concert will be taking place on Wednesday January 31st, 2018 at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church on 340 E. Evans San Bernardino, CA at 7 pm. In addition to his concert, Mr. Rotman will give his Christian testimony.