Daniel Pollack playing a “dombra” folk instrument in an outdoor bazaar in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Did you know that Daniel…

— was a child prodigy, performing Chopin’s Concerto #1 with the NY Philharmonic at the age of 9

— watched in amazement  during a concert in Popayan, Colombia,  when the piano started to roll away because of the slippery marble floor, then several ivory piano keys split and fell to the floor and finally the pedal lyre fell off — all while playing Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz

— was playing Prokofiev’s 3rd piano concerto in South Carolina, when the power shut down because a squirrel electrocuted itself on the electrical grid – and continued playing in the dark

— thought it amusing when a Steinway was delivered to his concert in Alexandria, Egypt, without the pedal lyre (not so funny, really) – it was delivered on a later truck

— arrived at his concert at the Bolshoi Zal in St, Petersburg, Russia during a blizzard, only to realize that he had brought no shoes and was still wearing heavy snow boots (he later borrowed a pair)

Pollack standing at entrance of Red Square with Kremlin in background, Moscow, Russia

— was the ghost pianist who played for Amy Irving’s winning performance in the movie, The Competition

— was the first American pianist to ever perform in China

— premiered the famed Samuel Barber Piano Sonata in Russia and China and later, the composer’s concerto in South America, UK, Israel, and of all countries, Iceland and several more

— arrived in Cluj Rumania, for a performance with the Philharmonic only to find out that the orchestra had prepared the wrong concerto and had to switch out a concerto on the spot

— can play a 12th (C to G) on the keyboard and stretch to a 13th

— sometimes likes to practice sitting on the floor to strengthen fingers (but not for too long)

— loves impressionism, both art and music

First American pianist to perform in such cities as Bejimg, Shanghai and Nanjing. Steinway piano had made it to China before Pollack, for which he was grateful.

— enjoys travel by train, not so much by plane

— is passionate about performances needing to go “over the edge” –ones that provide a thrill

Daniel Pollack designated Honorary Ambassador of the St. Petersbrug International Forum