Awadagin pratt biography samples

Awadagin Pratt

American pianist (born )

Awadagin Pratt

Birth nameAwadagin Pratt
Born () March 6, (age&#;58)
OriginNormal, Illinois, U.S.
OccupationPianist
Years active–present

Musical artist

Awadagin Pratt (; born March 6, ) is an American concert pianist born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1]

Life

Awadagin Pratt began piano lessons at six with Leslie Sompong and after moving to Normal, Illinois, violin lessons at age nine.

With a violin scholarship he enrolled in University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the age of 16, then transferred to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore where he was the school's first student to receive diplomas in three different performance areas: piano, violin, and conducting.[2]

In Pratt became the first African-American pianist to win the Naumburg International Piano Competition.[citation needed][3] Since then, "he has performed with nearly every major orchestra in this country [the United States], at the ClintonWhite House, Obama White House and on Sesame Street".[4] Winning the Naumburg prize launched Pratt into a strenuous performance schedule, with 40 to 50 concerts that year and 70 the following year, when he signed with the New York City artist management firm IMG Artists.[1] In Pratt made his debut at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic.[5]

In fall Pratt accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Piano and Artist in Residence at the University of CincinnatiCollege-Conservatory of Music, rising to the rank of Professor of Piano.[6] His recital debut there came on December 1, [7] Pratt joined the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in July He continues to perform up to 30 times a year across the United States and abroad.[citation needed] A recital on March 3, , drew praises for its "old-master richness."[8] Pratt is also an experienced conductor, having led orchestras in the US and Japan.[9]

Performance preferences

Writers often note Pratt's appearance.

"Pratt takes the stage at Boston's Jordan Hall in a subtle but colorful green-and-lavender striped and checked shirt.

Awadagin pratt biography samples free Avshalomov, Jacob David. Pratt has presented a challenging persona in his visage, his appearance on stage, his manner of addressing his instrument, and in the general aura he projects. Newsweek, Nov. Finale: Allegro assai appassionato.

His black pants reveal a dash of whimsicality below the cuffs: socks adorned with a portrait of Van Gogh".[5] Among other composers whose works he has espoused are Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Edvard Grieg, Modest Mussorgsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Recordings

Pratt has released several recordings on compact disc:

  • A Long Way From Normal (EMI, ), Pratt's debut album, including music of Liszt, Franck, Brahms, and Bach. The title is a reference to his boyhood home of Normal, Illinois.
  • Beethoven Piano Sonatas (EMI, ), including sonatas 7, 9, 30, and
  • Live From South Africa (EMI, ), which was recorded in Cape Town,[5] including works of Bach, Brahms, Franck, and Rachmaninoff.
  • Transformations (EMI , November 16, ), including Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition; Pratt's own transcription of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV ; and Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, all played on a Bösendorfer Imperial Grand.
  • Play Bach (Angel ), including Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no.

    5 in D Major, BWV ; Keyboard Concerti nos.

    Awadagin pratt biography samples pdf American pianist born About this article Awadagin Pratt All Sources -. Archived from the original on Louis, and Seattle symphony orchestras.

    4 in A Major, BWV , and 5 in F Minor, BWV ; and shorter works, all with a chamber ensemble performing one to a part.

  • Stillpoint (New Amsterdam, August ) newly commissioned works for piano, strings (A Far Cry), and vocals (Roomful of Teeth)[10]

References

  1. ^ abAwadagin Pratt Home Page.
  2. ^Saint Paul Sunday July 26, "Artist Profile: Zuill Bailey and Awadagin Pratt".

    Archived from the original on Retrieved

  3. ^Oron, Aryeh. "Awadagin Pratt (Piano, Arranger)".
  4. ^Cruice, Valerie (9 April ). "Music; A pianist with plans for time traveling". New York Times.
  5. ^ abcShepard, T.

    Brooks (). "Classical romance from Awadagin Pratt - African American pianist excels at classical European music".

  6. ^"Classical superstar joins CCM faculty at the University of Cincinnati". University of Cincinnati Magazine.

    Student biography samples References [ edit ]. Skip to content Accessibility Buy Tickets Search. Pratt has presented a challenging persona in his visage, his appearance on stage, his manner of addressing his instrument, and in the general aura he projects. Pratt, Awadagin Pratt, Awadagin , black American pianist; b.

  7. ^Gelfand, Janelle (December ). "A minute with Awadagin Pratt". The Enquirer.
  8. ^Moran, David (5 March ). "Awadagin Pratt: Old-Master Richness". Boston Musical Intelligencer.

    Awadagin pratt biography samples Three years later, having moved to Normal, Illinois with his family, he also began studying violin. He was the first African-American to win an international instrumental competition victory in the Naumburg Competition and first black instrumentalist since Andre Watts to get a recording contract with a major label. Following a debut appearance at the Aspen Festival in the summer of , Pratt traveled to Japan for recital and concert appearances in Osaka and Tokyo in September of He has also performed in chamber music programs.

    Retrieved 26 March

  9. ^"Biography". Awadagin Pratt. Retrieved 26 March
  10. ^"Stillpoint". New Amsterdam Records.

  11. Artist biography samples
  12. Awadagin pratt biography samples images
  13. Writing a personal biography samples

    14. August 25, Retrieved August 25,

  • () Serinus, Jason V.; Interview with Pianist Awadagin Pratt; ().[1]
  • Biography at [2]
  • (); CFA Welcomes Acclaimed Pianist Awadagin Pratt; The Mason Gazette (). [3]
  • (); Barron, James; ON TOUR WITH: Awadagin Pratt; Knowing What It Means to Solo; The New York Times ().

    [4]

  • (); Gladstone, Valerie; Pratt's Triple Threat; The New York Sun (). [5]
  • (); One Voice Chorus [6] presents Bringing Out the Best: Beethoven, Brahms & Burleigh with special guest, world-class pianist Awadagin Pratt.

External links