Education and Awards

The Early Years

David Allen Wehr was born in Princeton, New Jersey, into a family of professional musicians, his parents both being graduates of the famed Westminster Choir College. His father, Dr. David A. Wehr, well-known composer of over fifty published choir anthems, founded the Cathedral Bellchoir, one of the country’s first. The ringers’ extensive cross-country tours in the 1960s included concerts at the Seattle, New York and Montreal World’s Fairs. His mother, Nancy Stone Wehr, is a leading music educator and alto soloist.

Growing up in Boise, Idaho, where his parents directed the choir program at the Cathedral of the Rockies, young David’s first piano lesson with his mother was on his fourth birthday. After continued lessons with both parents until age twelve, Wehr studied with Peggy Neighbors Erwin in Miami, Florida and with Edward Zolas at the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Education

Wehr holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the University of Kansas, where he studied with Portuguese virtuoso Sequeira Costa and coached in over forty master classes with Leon Fleisher, Malcolm Frager, Misha Dichter, Gary Graffman and Byron Janis.

He also worked with John Browning and Jorge Bolet, coaching chamber music at the Taos School of Music with Anne Koscielny, Raymond Hanson and the New Hungarian String Quartet.

Awards

David Allen Wehr won the Gold Medal at the 1987 Santander International Piano Competition in Spain, resulting in 120 concerts all over the world.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Wehr won the 1975 Chopin-Kosciuszko Prize in New York City, the 1983 National Federation of Music Clubs Young Artist Auditions, and second prizes at the 1983 Naumburg International Piano Competition at New York’s Carnegie Hall and the 1983 Kapell International Piano Competition at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Other awards include the NFMC 1982 Marie Morrisey Keith Award, the Oklahoma Symphony Bloch 1977 Young Artist Award, the Wichita Symphony 1977 Naftzger Young Artist Award, the Santa Barbara Symphony 1981 Young Artist Award, the Houston Symphony 1981 Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition and the Carmel Music Society 1983 Young Artist Award.