Pianist Danny Driver likes to vary his repertory, performing music from Bach to Adès, concertos to chamber music, popular classics, and unknown pieces. He has a large discography on the Hyperion label, including a 2021 release of Ligeti's rarely recorded 18 Etudes. Driver was born in London in 1977. His father was an amateur violinist, and on his mother's side, he is descended (like his wife, conductor Rebecca Miller) from Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (ca. 1698-1760), the founder of Hasidic Judaism. As a child, he was encouraged to pursue his musical interests, which were intensified by hearing pianist Dinu Lipatti's classic recording of Chopin's waltzes. Driver studied at the University of Cambridge, initially pursuing natural science courses (which he has credited with influencing his playing) but then switched to music and enrolled at the Royal College of Music in London. Two major contest wins in 2001, at the Royal Over-Seas League and the BBC 2 Young Musician of the Year Competition, nurtured his nascent career. He gave the first of many recitals at London's Wigmore Hall and began a steady career of appearances with major British orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic, the BBC Scottish Symphony, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Those have been augmented by appearances abroad with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Queensland Symphony, and Hong Kong Pro Arte, among other ensembles. Driver has appeared twice at the BBC Proms. He has a large repertory of works by less-often-played composers, including Mily Balakirev, Clara Schumann (and other women), and York Bowen, of whose Piano Concerto No. 3 he and Miller gave the U.S. premiere in 2009. Driver has released more than ten albums on Hyperion, featuring a great diversity of repertory from Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach to Erik Chisholm. He appeared on volume 70 of the label's popular Romantic Piano Concertos series, performing works by Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade, and Dorothy Howell. Driver also joined violinist Chloë Hanslip for a cycle of Beethoven's violin sonatas on the Rubicon label. In 2021, he issued a recording of Ligeti's 18 Etudes on Hyperion. Since 2016, he has taught piano at the Royal College of Music. ~ James Manheim