A native of Israel, Renana Gutman started piano playing at the age of six. Soon recognized as a prodigy garnering multiple awards and honors, she became a recipient of America Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship with distinction from 1992-2004, and later on of Jewish Foundation for the Education of Women Scholarship.
Her most influential teachers were pianists Natasha Tadson and Victor Derevianko in Israel, and Richard Goode at Mannes College of Music in New York where she completed her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees. Her musicianship teacher was the established Israeli composer Arie Shapira.
From 2008-2010 Renana had been on the piano faculty of the Yehudi Menuhin Music School in the UK. She currently teaches at 92nd Street Y, and Bard College Preparatory.
A top prize winner at Los Angeles Liszt competition, International Keyboard Festival in New York, and Tel-Hai Internationl Master Classes, she has performed with orchestras including Jerusalem Symphony, Haifa Symphony, Belgian “I Fiamminghi”, Mannes College Orchestra.
An earnest student of Beethoven’s music, she was one of four young pianists selected by the renowned Leon Fleisher to participate in his workshop on Beethoven piano sonatas hosted by Carnegie Hall where she presented performances of “Hammerklavier” and “Appassionata” to critical acclaim.
Renana spent summers at the Marlboro and Ravinia Music Festivals where she collaborated with Richard Goode, Mitsuko Uchida, members of the Guarneri quartet and clarinetist Anthony McGill.
Renana performed solo and chamber music concerts at Carnegie’s Weill Hall and Rockefeller University, NY, Ravinia Rising Stars and Dame Myra Hess, Chicago, Herbst Theatre, St. Francisco, Marlboro College, VT, Washington National Gallery, and Stresa Music Festival, Italy. Her regular duo-partners include violinists Dan Zhu, Tessa Lark and Yoojin Jang.
As a former member of the piano trio “Terzetto”, with violinist Diana Cohen and cellist Tanya Ell, Renana won first Prize at the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition in Ohio, performed Beethoven Triple Concerto with Lansing Symphony.