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Pianist
Karl Larson is a vigorous advocate for contemporary music, not only premiering new works but performing adventurous programs in both traditional venues and those devoted to new music.
Larson is the co-founder of the contemporary music-oriented trio
Bearthoven.
Larson was born in Wisconsin. He attended Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, graduating in 2009.
Larson went on to Bowling Green State University, where he earned master's and doctoral degrees, studied with
Laura Melton, and soaked up the vigorous contemporary music programs centered on the school, often playing in new music ensembles. In 2010, he was a co-founder of the Color Field Ensemble.
Larson moved to New York after receiving his doctorate and settled in Brooklyn. In 2013, he founded
Bearthoven, consisting of himself on piano, bassist
Pat Swoboda, and percussionist Matt Evans; that group has commissioned more than 15 works. As a solo pianist, he has appeared at such venues as Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Teatro General San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Larson has premiered new works by
David Rakowski,
Christopher Cerrone, and Ravi Kittappa, among others. With Kittappa,
Larson curates the monthly new music and art event Permutations in New York. He also frequently plays established modern works such as those by
Pierre Boulez,
Olivier Messiaen, and
Morton Feldman.
Larson has collaborated with a wide variety of contemporary composers and musicians, including
Eve Beglarian, the
Bang on a Can All-Stars, and
Eighth Blackbird.
Larson made his recording debut in 2014 on the album
Re: you, featuring works by composer
Robert Honstein. In 2016,
Larson accompanied cellist
Ashley Bathgate on the album
Ken Thomson: Restless. On the New Focus label in 2018,
Larson returned to the music of
Honstein on the album
An Economy of Means. In 2021,
Larson issued the album
Scott Wollschleger: Dark Days, for which he also served as producer, editor, and mastering engineer.