Simone Dinnerstein

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein tells Kurt about breaking into the classical musical world, topping the classical charts, and what it takes to make an iconic piece of music her own. She plays a selection from Bach's "Goldberg Variations" in studio.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein's 2007 recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" became an unlikely hit, topping the Billboard classical charts, reaching No. 3 on the Amazon charts, and for a time, leading iTunes in downloads. This summer she releases her follow-up CD, "The Berlin Concert," and tonight she performs at Le Poisson ...

34-year-old pianist Simone Dinnerstein scraped together the cash to record Bach’s "Goldberg Variations." The album was picked up by a major label, and reached #1 on the Billboard classical charts. She performs live and tells Kurt why that piece never goes out of style.

Simone Dinnerstein performs "Eine Kleine Mitternacht Musik" by George Crumb live in Studio 360.

Today's encore of live performances on Soundcheck starts with Tori Amos, Simone Dinnerstein, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings.

Brooklyn-based concert pianist Simone Dinnerstein avoided the child prodigy route in her career – taking her time to mature and avoiding the "competition circuit." Now in her mid 30s, she’s just released a recording of Bach's monumental Goldberg Variations. She performs live in the studio today.