David Dolan (pianist)
concert pianist
David Dolan (born 25 November 1955) is a concert pianist, researcher and educator. He devotes an important part of his career to the revival of the art of classical improvisation. Professor of classical improvisation and its application on creativity in performance at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, he is Head of the Centre for Creative Performance and Classical Improvisation. He also teaches at the Yehudi Menuhin School following Lord Menuhin's invitation in 1989.
Background and studies
Dolan was born in Israel where he studied piano with Prof. Sonia Valin and composition and improvisation with Haim Alexander at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, obtaining his B. Mus. and Artist Diploma - Summa Cum Laude. He then studied with Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore and with Claude Frank in New York. In 1977 he took part in Arthur Rubinstein's master class in Jerusalem. His PhD work (University of Paris and Hebrew University of Jerusalem) examined parallels between emotional expression in speech and musical improvisation.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “David Dolan (pianist)” is concert pianist. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through David, Dolan and pianist, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “concert pianist” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Named sources, stable identifiers and responsible institutions provide the strongest route from overview to verifiable evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q20676477. VIAF identifies the subject as 97401255. None of the 2 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1955, 1989 and 1977.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “David Dolan (pianist)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow David Dolan (pianist) primary sources, David Dolan (pianist) archive and David research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “David Dolan (pianist)”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “David Dolan (pianist)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.