.
Dimitris Sgouros (Greek: Δημήτρης Σγούρος; born 30 August 1969)[a] is a Greek classical pianist.[1] He began playing the piano at a young age, and received formal training in Athens, London, and New York. Widely acclaimed for his prodigious musical talent as a boy, Sgouros is one of the world's leading concert pianists. Arthur Rubinstein remarked that he had produced "the best playing I have ever heard."[2]
Biography
Sgouros was born on 30 August 1969 in Athens, Greece,[1][2][3] the son of Sotirios and Marianthi Sgouros.[3] There was no notable record of musical talent in his family.[2] He began playing the piano at a young age and gave his first public performance at the age of seven.[2] At the age of eight, he entered the Athens Conservatoire, studying under Maria Herogiorgiou-Sigara.[1][2] Sgouros won several competitions between 1978 and 1983, including the UNICEF competition in Bulgaria (1979), a competition in Ancona, Italy (1980), and two competitions in his home city of Athens.[2] He was also the recipient of the 1982 Leonardo da Vinci International Award.[3][4]
In 1982, at the age of 12, Sgouros made his Carnegie Hall debut. He performed Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Mstislav Rostropovich.[1] In mid-1983, before he had turned 13, Sgouros graduated from the Conservatory with a Professor's Diploma, a Teacher's Diploma, a First Prize, and a Gold Medal.[2] Sgouros continued his studies at the Royal Academy of Arts of London and the University of Maryland, College Park, in the United States of America.[1] He graduated from Royal Academy with the highest marks the institution had ever awarded.[1] Besides his musical talents, Sgouros has undertaken postgraduate studies in mathematics at the University of Oxford.[5]
Performances around the world have included concerts in Australia,[6][7] Austria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong,[8] Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand,[9] Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey.[10] Sgouros has performed for the royal families of Britain, Monaco,[11][12] and Sweden, and played under the baton of renowned conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Emil Tabakov, Kurt Masur, and Yevgeny Svetlanov.[13] He has recorded for various record labels, including Dino Music[14][15] and EMI.[16] Since March 1988, three Sgouros Festivals have been instituted, in Hamburg, Ljubljana, and Singapore.[17][18][19]
Sgouros has featured prominently in the media, having appeared on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson[20] and a television concert with Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto.[21][22] He has also been profiled by Oscar-winning director François Reichenbach in a feature length documentary film.[23][24]
See also
List of classical pianists
List of classical pianists (recorded)
List of music prodigies
Notes
a. ^ Sgouros's name sometimes appears as Dimitrios Sgouros.
References
Citations
^ a b c d e f Classical Pianist Dimitris Sgouros: Biography (c. 2008). Retrieved 21 May 2010.
^ a b c d e f g Crankshaw, G. (1983): Angel Debut Recording: Dimitris Sgouros – Brahms/Schumann (notes from record jacket). Retrieved 21 May 2010.
^ a b c World Who's Who: Dimitris Sgouros (2010). Retrieved 22 May 2010.
^ Rotary Club Firenze: History of the Leonardo da Vinci Award (2009). Retrieved 28 December 2010.
^ Dimitris Sgouros: A photographic portrait (c. 2009). Retrieved 22 May 2010.
^ Newspaper articles on Dimitris Sgouros from Fairfax archive (mainly Sydney).
^ Dimitris Sgouros Australian tours – Concert programmes & nationwide reviews
^ Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, University of California, San Francisco – Philip Morris Collection – Dimitris Sgouros in Hong Kong (1989 Cartier Master Series)
^ Dimitris Sgouros newspaper citations, Auckland Council Libraries
^ Sgouros concert in Ankara – article from NTV MS-NBC (in Turkish)
^ Hebdo Magazine feature on Sgouros (November 1984) (French)
^ Prince's Palace of Monaco – Summer Concerts
^ ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Sgouros & USSR Sym Orch/Svetlanov perform Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1
^ ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Dino Music album with Sgouros
^ Dimitris Sgouros album on Dino Music – track listing
^ 2011 EMI Classics release with Dimitris Sgouros – 'Essential Liszt'
^ Concert poster – Sgouros with the USSR Festival Orchestra in Singapore, 1990
^ Concert advertisement – The Straits Times, October 21, 1990
^ Concert notice – Sgouros at Victoria Concert Hall – The Straits Times, October 22, 1991
^ TV guides from Ocala Star-Banner & Chicago Tribune (1982).
^ The Miami News TV guide (1986).
^ The New York Times – TV Special – Listings. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
^ Google Books citation – Musik in den Medien Retrieved on 3 January 2011.
^ Los Angeles Times – Music News (1984). Retrieved 3 January 2011.
Bibliography
Tarallo, Alfredo (1993). "Sgouros, Poet of the Piano." Il Mattino. 26 July.
Klement, Udo (1991). "Fascinating Sgouros: Gewandhaus Orchestra with pianist Dimitris Sgouros." Leipziger Volkszeitung
Ardoin, John (1989). "Pianist Sgouros is an Old Master at 19." Dallas Morning News. 12 January.
Crutchfield, Will (1988). "Review/Concert; Young American Choruses." New York Times. April 21.
Ardoin, John (1987). "Sgouros Proves Electrifying – Pianist Plays Brilliantly with FW Symphony." Dallas Morning News. 20 October.
Guenther, Roy (1985). "Dimitris Sgouros: Flash Without Feeling." Washington Post. 17 July.
Rosenberg, Donald (1984). "A Gifted Pianist Who Is Not Yet 15." Philadelphia Inquirer. 27 July.
Finn, Robert (1984). "Young Greek Pianist Does Amazingly Well on Mozart." Cleveland Plain Dealer. 15 July.
Mclellan, Joseph (1984). "Dimitris Sgouros: Coming of Age." Washington Post. 9 July.
Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Dimitris Sgouros' Promising Piano." Washington Post. 19 July.
Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Pianist's Return." Washington Post. 23 April.
Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Bravo Sgouros." Washington Post. 16 April.
Thomas, R. M. (1982). "Boy Vs. Rachmaninoff." New York Times. 15 April.
External links
Classical Pianist Dimitris Sgouros
Free video and mp3 downloads of Dimitris Sgouros' playing
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