Today we’d like to introduce you to David Glen Hatch. Them and their team share their story with us below:
David Glen Hatch’s parents are not particularly musical – but by the time their firstborn son had reached the tender age of three, they knew they had something special on their hands. At that age when most kids were banging pots and pans, David heard a song on the radio and climbed up to the piano to plunk it out. Thus began the career of the four-time Grammy Award-nominated Utah musician, who has released a discography of over 40 CD’s, toured extensively throughout the world on six continents, and taught over 500 students throughout the past four decades.
David’s grandmother had taken the toddler with her to a dance class to collect rent from the teacher who was using his grandparent’s commercial building for her teaching. Surprised when young David climbed onto the piano bench and began to play the dance tunes he’d heard during the end of that class – with both hands, she was startled and knew what needed to be done! David’s parents were equally astonished when the 3-year-old repeated his stunt at home with tunes they played for him on the radio.
David turned out to be the exception in his family as the eldest of five boys. His father, who played baseball and basketball for Brigham Young University, became an All-American athlete as a baseball pitch and all four of his brothers were all-staters in various high-school sports. During all that huffing and puffing, all that throwing, catching, and sweating, David practiced. And throughout his life, like Beethoven, David’s motto has remained: “When words fail, music speaks.” The French composer, Claude Debussy expressed it this way, “Music begins at the point where speech has no power to express. Music is made for the inexpressible.”
For the Provo, Utah native, there was only one choice: piano lessons, and piano lessons – taking them or teaching them – an almost daily part of his life ever since. Once David looked down at those 88 keys, he never looked back, eventually earning a doctorate in piano performance and pursuing a thriving career as a guest concerto soloist, recitalist, clinician, and adjudicator in America and abroad. Along with his career as a performer and teacher, he has become a successful recording artist and arranger of intermediate and advanced piano arrangements of inspirational, Popular/Broadway, Christmas, and Patriotic music published by Jackman and Alfred Music Corporations.
David knows how it is to compete. He also knows that music competition is not for everybody! Although he has won and/or received top honors in various state, regional, national and international competitions in addition to producing student competition winners, with many of his students pursuing piano performance degrees at some of the nation’s stellar music schools and conservatories including Indiana University – Jacob’s School of Music, University of Michigan, Oberlin Conservatory, and the Juilliard & Manhattan Schools of Music, David knows that winning isn’t everything. In fact, he strongly believes it’s a minuscule part of the over-arching field of music-making and that performance degrees should be sought only by those prodigious talents who must eat, drink, and breath music daily to survive – loving the rigorous work demands, obtaining the required discipline to become accomplished, and always feeling their music deep in the soul! Therefore, as a teacher/mentor, David admits to shying away from “stage parents” who want to relive their lives through the accomplished piano-playing skills of their children. Children and young people should never be pushed into a piano performance or teaching career if it’s not their own choice.
Over the past 25 years, David has invited dozens of his serious, gifted, and driven students who thrill in the prospects of high-level pianistic development and future professional career possibilities, to enjoy the exhilarating adventure of performing with him on his summer international concert tours in renowned concert halls throughout the world for large audiences of concertgoers. This idea was sparked from reminiscences of concert performances David experienced at age 17. Having won a national competition and awarded an international performance tour including a concert debut at Carnegie Hall followed by concerts in ten European countries the summer prior to his senior year of high school, David was bit with the international travel and performance bug. Knowing that this experience was life-changing for him at that early age, he decided to share similar opportunities with his students, knowing that if he did not provide them, his young protégés would never experience those thrilling, life-altering music and cultural happenings.
A sampling of renowned halls where David and his students have performed include: Town Hall Concert Chamber (Auckland, New Zealand), Izumisano Concert Hall (Osaka, Japan), Shanghai Conservatory of Music Concert Hall (China), Center for the Performing Arts (Edinburgh, Scotland), Troldhaugen Concert Hall (Bergen, Norway), Church of the Madeleine (Paris, France), Mozarteum Hall (Salzburg, Austria), Holy Trinity Lutheran Cathedral (Warsaw, Poland), Radio Symphony Hall (Budapest, Hungary), Philharmonic Hall (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), Teatro de Ghinoe (Rome, Italy), Chamber Concert Hall (Sofia, Bulgaria), Mariinsky Palace Amphitheater (Kiev, Ukraine), Great Hall of the Reina Maria Cristina Conservatory (Malaga, Spain), Linder Auditorium and Hugo Lambrechts Concert Hall (Johannesburg & Cape Town, South Africa), National Rebagliat Martins Auditorium (Lima, Peru), Teatro Municipal de las Condes (Santiago, Chile), Kennedy Haus for the Performing Arts (Munich, Germany), John Calvin University Performance Hall (Geneva, Switzerland), Center for tor the Performing Arts (Copenhagen, Denmark), Musikverein (Vienna, Austria), Teatro de La Plata (Buenos Aires, Argentina), Teatro Orione (Palermo, Sicily), Villa Bertramka (Prague, Czech Republic), Nathaniel Golden Hall (Jerusalem, Israel), Conservatory Recital Hall (Hobart, Tasmania), Music Hall of Composers (Moscow, Russia), ACS Performing Arts Theater (Athens, Greece), Bass Concert Hall (Dallas, Texas), Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), and Carnegie Hall (New York City).
David has loved teaching since age 12! Having been fortunate enough to study with some of the nation’s high-profile piano pedagogues, he’s always felt a sacred stewardship to pass his knowledge to the new generation! He adores the challenge of teaching and seeing the light bulb “go on” in the eyes of his students when they suddenly understand a musical concept or master a brilliant passage of music. David claims that he realizes his performance career is a thing of the present; the master teaching is his legacy! Although he no longer teaches beginners, he realizes the enormous responsibility of teaching young people correct technical and musical concepts during the most critical formative years of pianistic development. Otherwise, these young people become handicapped for life from subpar foundational instruction! Furthermore, to omit, in the music field, the prominent imagery of “onlyness”, David breeds camaraderie within his studio, bringing his students together through group participation in studio classes, sight-reading sessions, joint-recitals, symphony performances, ensemble, concerto festivals, and competitions, annual studio barbeques, zip-lining activities, Halloween and Christmas parties.
In his approach to teaching, David is a firm believer that his students should enjoy a full life and be well-balanced individuals. He has observed that young people who spend all their time at the piano, and little else, become nerds–imbalanced people who know nothing but this black-and-white box. He was reminded of the importance of this needed balance in life a few years ago at a studio barbeque when one of these students came to him and asked which end of the baseball bat he should hold. David thought, “Now, if this is what we’re doing in this profession – creating an obsession at the expense of all else, perhaps we should reevaluate our life’s priorities!
Presently, David continues to enjoy all the facets of his career: solo performing, guest artist invitations with orchestras, recording, arranging, teaching, adjudicating, presenting regional, national, and international masterclasses and lecture performances, and authoring books and keyboard magazine articles. And David is enthusiastically involved in a new career development. Recently, he returned from Vienna, Austria, where he serves annually as a member of the international piano faculty of the Austria Summer Music Festival in Weyer, Austria.
The following provides David’s biographical sketch and quotes from music critics. For a more comprehensive view of his role as American Pianist, International Concert & Recording Artist, and Master Teacher, please visit his website at: davidglenhatch.com.
DAVID GLEN HATCH
“It is inconceivable that 10 mere mortal fingers can create such a masterpiece of sound.” –Concert Review, Kansas City Star
“Clearly, Hatch is one of the finest talents to appear on the international platform.” –International Music Festival, Edinburgh, Scotland
“Through his extraordinary virtuosity and powerful interpretations, Hatch certainly belongs on the international concert stage.” –Qian Yipling, Professor, Shanghai Conservatory of Music
Four-time Grammy nominee, international concert and recording artist and master teacher of piano, David Glen Hatch, enjoys a distinguished performance and teaching career on six continents. Uniquely, he performed as an invited guest artist with the Ukrainian National Symphony in Kyiv on a concert program celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the birth of world-renowned pianist Vladimir Horowitz. Hatch’s vast discography for Sony/BMG-Europe, Centaur, Critics Choice Records, Arizona University Recordings, and Covenant include a commissioned album, Smitten with Britten, a sole recording by an international artist of the complete published solo piano music of Benjamin Britten; The World’s Greatest Piano Melodies, with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Hungary; and Let Freedom Ring, a patriotic album of Hatch’s arrangements, performed live at Arlington National Cemetery in memoriam of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Hatch’s 2017 release, 2-CD set on the Centaur Label of Concerto No.1, Johannes Brahms and Concerto No. 4, Anton Rubinstein, was recorded with New Zealand’s Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and is being marketed internationally by Naxos Records.
Dr. Hatch is listed as one of the Best Teachers in America in volumes of Who’s Who Among American Music Teachers and International Who’s Who in Music and was awarded the Master Teacher certificate in 1994 by MTNA (Music Teachers National Association). He received the “Legacy Award” in 2020 and the “Teacher of the Year” Award in 2021 by UMTA (Utah Music Teachers Association), was nominated as National Teacher of the Year for 2022 by MTNA and received the 2022 “Lifetime Achievement Award” by the SCERA for the Arts Foundation, USA. His students have been winners in state, regional, national, and international competitions. In addition to the success of his independent teaching studio, a sampling of Dr. Hatch’s lecture presentations, master classes, and solo recitals include two World Piano Conferences sponsored by the European Music Teachers Association (London & Serbia), Music Hall of Composers (Moscow), National Conservatory of Bulgaria (Sofia International Music Festival), and Conservatories of Hobart, Tasmania; Shanghai, China; Bordeaux, France; Donetsk, Ukraine; and Santiago, Chile.
Hatch’s performances and interviews have been aired on PBS television, USA; TVE national television, Spain; BBC, UK; and classical radio stations in South Africa, Bulgaria, Norway, China, and Australia, among others. Hatch has published ten volumes of piano arrangements with Alfred Music and Jackman Music Corporations, authored the book, Praiseworthy Music and Spiritual Moments, has authored articles for American keyboard magazine, Clavier, and currently serves as a member of the international piano faculty of the Austria Summer Music Festival, and has served on the Board of Trustees of the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competitions and Foundation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
In addressing obstacles and challenges from my decades of work as a performer and teacher, there are multiple take-away’s which I’ve gained through vast experience on the stage and in the teaching studio. In my view, the following are critical aspects of successful piano performance and pedagogy that must be conscientiously developed for high-level accomplishment and lasting success:
• Quality arduous work mastering the pianistic fundamentals of musical communication and artistry
• Perseverance in perfecting the mechanics of comprehensive finger technique
• Courage to rise above repeated disappointments and eliminate self-doubt
• Determination to achieve genuine self-confidence
• Enthusiasm and devotion to the art of stellar music-making
• Healthy camaraderie and support for colleagues while involved in a highly competitive, often nasty profession!
As for the art of teaching, especially during the most difficult fundamental years of study, I’ve adopted and often shared a brilliant concept by Timothy Gallwey in his book, The Inner Game of Tennis:
“When we plant a rose seed in the earth, we notice that it is small, but we do not criticize it as ‘rootless and stemless.’ We treat it as a seed, giving it the water and nourishment required of a seed. When it first shoots up out of the earth, we don’t condemn it as immature and underdeveloped; nor do we criticize the buds for not being open when they appear. We stand in wonder at the process taking place and give the plant the care it needs at each stage of its development. The rose is a rose from the time it is a seed to the time it dies. Within it, at all times, it contains its whole potential. It seems to be constantly in the process of change; yet at each stage, at each moment, it is perfectly all right as it is.”
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Although my extensive performance career has proven highly fulfilling throughout my life, my work as a teacher has always been most gratifying. From the hundreds of thrilling experiences in my professional studio, I’ve garnered five profoundly powerful truths regarding teaching that, if practiced, will help produce a Master Teacher! These are:
1. A great teacher must have GREAT patience!
2. A great teacher must truly CARE about the student and genuinely desire to help the student improve!
3. A great teacher FEELS JOY and HAPPINESS in the accomplishments of his/her students!
4. A great teacher needs to be an intuitive PSYCHOLOGIST when training students to become performers!
5. A great teacher is one who is HONEST with his/her students in guiding them toward the choice of a career in music!
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Here’s some of my advice–tips and guidance–for those individuals who are beginning their careers. These ideas are helpful in overcoming fears and getting on track for success at the start of your journey and magnificent adventure!
If you are passionate about your subject, that passion will shine through when you meet with professionals, employers, families, and future students!
Build connections and experience with people who share your passion. Be proactive in searching for new ways to become involved with people who share your interests since spending time with other successful people in your field elevates you and your quality of work!
Ask for help. Once you’ve gotten some experience and met professionals in your vocation, don’t be afraid to ask for help in building your career. Many people in your life will be flattered if you asked them for advice, mentorship, or to be a professional reference. You never know who could introduce you to your next stellar student or performance opportunity. Learning to network is vital to your longevity in this profession!
Never become discouraged to the point of giving up! It’s normal to feel discouragement from time to time, but how critically important it is to learn form the challenges we face! Never give up on yourself as you’ll find that you’ll try many diverse ways of accomplishing something before you find one that works effectively for you.
Never stop learning. Just because you’re no longer in school doesn’t mean you’re done learning! Take this time to get to know yourself, your work style, and your ideal path to a fulfilling life of career accomplishment and without being afraid to make mistakes! We learn greatly from our errors along the way!
Finally, always remain an optimistic, energetic person – keeping the passion alive for what you do!
Contact Info:
- Website: davidglenhatch.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=david+glen+hatch+videos
