Praised as an “exceptional pianist”; “enormous talents” (The State, SC), Joseph Rackers has performed for enthusiastic audiences in major musical centers of the United States, Europe, Canada and Asia. In 2007 he performed as Guest Artist at the Shanghai and Sichuan Conservatories of Music in China and as soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra of Chernigoff, Ukraine. In 2008, he will make his solo debut in Chicago on the Dame Myra Hess Concert Series, a performance that will be broadcast on WFMT Chicago and nationally over the internet.

Mr. Rackers is a frequent Guest Artist and performer at international music festivals including “Summer Evenings in Kiev” (Ukraine), Yantai International Music Festival (China), Varna International Masterclasses in Piano (Bulgaria), Moulin d’Ande Arts Festival (France), Banff Centre for the Arts (Canada) and Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival (Germany), among others. In the United States, he has performed as soloist with orchestras, on concerts series or at Universities in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. His performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States.

Active as both a soloist and chamber musician, Mr. Rackers has performed with members of the Atlanta Symphony, Charleston Symphony and Missouri Symphony, among others. As part of the Lomazov/Rackers Piano Duo, Mr. Rackers was awarded the Second Prize at the Sixth Biennial Ellis Competition for Duo Pianists (2005), the only national duo piano competition in the United States. Their performances have been described as “splendid” (Rochester, WXXI radio), and “simply dazzling” (The State, SC).

Mr. Rackers holds the Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degrees in piano performance from the Eastman School of Music where was also awarded the Performer’s Certificate and Excellence in Teaching Prize. He served as teaching assistant to Prof. Natalya Antonova and his primary teachers were Natalya Antonova and Raymond Herbert. He has served on the faculty of the Eastman School of Music Community Education Division, Hochstein Music School and Southeastern Piano Festival and has given recent masterclasses or adjudicated competitions in Bulgaria, China, France, Georgia, Michigan, Montana, Mississippi, New York, South Carolina and Virginia.

Mr. Rackers serves as Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of South Carolina School of Music.