By Kohar Bayizian
Born and raised in Bayside, 53-year-old David Holzman has just received his first Grammy nomination for best instrumental soloist performance without an orchestra.
The funny thing was that Holzman was one of the last people to find out about his nomination.
“I never knew I was nominated,” Holzman said last week. “People just started coming up to me and congratulating me, and I didn’t know what for exactly.”
Holzman, as humble as he is, was not too excited about the nomination but said that all his friends were, so he could not help but be the same himself. He later confessed that he was initially restrained because he “doesn’t trust anything on being pure” and that he did not want to get his hopes up that he might win.
The Grammys will be held this Sunday, Feb. 23.
Holzman’s interest in music started at the early age of 4, which only became more serious in the following years. He began to take piano classes and started to pursue this hobby as more of a career.
After receiving his Bachelor of Music and graduating Magna Cum Laude from Mannes College of Music, finishing his studies at Queens College at age 21, he joined the Twentieth Century Music Ensemble and toured for a few years. Holzman released his first recording when he was 25 and in later years released four more.
He is now a renowned musician who has performed all over the world in such places as Washington D.C., Moscow, Vienna, and Tel Aviv.
At his home in Bayside, he devotes much of his time to working on new pieces, which he plans to include in his sixth album. Holzman teaches at CW Post University and at the City University of New York and is a professor of piano at both.
When asked if he is happy, Holzman said “I’m happier than Michael Jackson and I’m not as close to as rich as he is.”
Holzman said the only thing that keeps you happy is working and reaching your goals — something that this pianist has truly mastered.
His next performance will be held at CW Post on Sunday, April 6. For more information on Holzman, call 516-299-2474.
