Illustrator Wilhelm Busch’s “Der Virtuos” (The Virtuoso) hangs in pianist Drew Petersen’s bedroom. The piece follows a pianist through the arc of a performance in 15 frames, culminating in a climactic end, arms and body ablur as he moves frenetically over the keys. Petersen still chuckles at the piece. While he can relate to the musician’s passion, gesturally his style couldn’t be more different. Rather than flashy and dramatic, Petersen is more deliberate and thoughtful, in control.

Perhaps that’s what propelled Petersen to several recent career successes, notably a 2018 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the top prize at the 2017 American Pianists Awards of the American Pianists Association. Petersen was also a top prizewinner in the Leeds International Piano Competition, the Hilton Head International Piano Competition, Kosciuszko Foundation Chopin Competition, and the New York Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, among others. He was acknowledged as a “Rising Star” by BBC Music Magazine upon the release of his debut album of American piano music for Steinway & Sons in 2018.

Petersen was presented at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall at age five and by age 10 he was presented in a solo recital at Steinway Hall in Manhattan for the company’s 150th Anniversary. The New York Times has written about the early performances of the gifted, “freckle-faced 10-year-old who still impresses adults with his intelligence, maturity and depth” and New York Magazine prominently featured Petersen in an article about child prodigies. Petersen’s extraordinary gifts were also chronicled in the documentary Just Normal and in Andrew Solomon’s book, Far From the Tree, which featured case studies of exceptional children.

Petersen graduated cum laude from Harvard at age 19 with a bachelor of liberal arts in social science and did his graduate music studies at the Juilliard School, where he recently completed his Artist Diploma as a recipient of the prestigious Kovner Fellowship.

An avid traveler, Petersen’s emerging career frequently takes him abroad, where he sets out to discover new foods and meet locals as eagerly as he performs for new audiences. Overseas appearances include recitals at the Musica e Arte Festival in Tolentino, Italy, Verbier Festival in Verbier, Switzerland, and Euro Arts Music Festival in Leipzig, Germany.

The expanse of the rolling ocean is as much an inspiration for music as it is an escape for Petersen. He raced competitively as a child and continues his love of swimming with regular open water swims.