Menahem Pressler was born on Dec. 16, 1923 in Magdeburg, Germany, and emigrated to Israel in 1938. where he received most of his musical training. His career was launched following his winning the first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. His successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy was followed by extensive tours of North America and Europe, including performances with the New York Philharmonic, as well as Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo and Helsinki Symphony Orchestras and many more. In 1955 Menahem Pressler founded the Beaux Arts Trio with violinist Daniel Guilet and cellist Bernard Greenhouse. The Trio, (with a few 'turnovers' in the strings) continued for more than 50 years and was unquestionably one of the most prominent and respected chamber groups of all time. Pressler is a Professor of piano in Indiana University in Bloomington. He is a regular on juries of international piano competitions such as the Van Cliburn, Queen Elizabeth, and Arthur Rubinstein competitions. He is established as one of the world's most revered chamber musicians, whose collaborations included multiple engagements with the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland String Quartets. All items on this DOREMI album, the first volume of the Menahem Pressler series, are first time on CD. Included are Mendelssohn First piano concerto, the sextet for piano and strings with members of Guilet Quartet, and solo piano pieces.