Kevin Kenner | |
|---|---|
 Kevin Kenner in Misdroy (2009) | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 19, 1963 Coronado, California |
| Genres | Classical music |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, concert pianist |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Website | Official website |
Kevin Kenner (born May 19, 1963, in Coronado, California) is an American concert pianist.
At the age of 17, Kenner was a finalist at the X International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. [1] Ten years later, in 1990 he returned to Warsaw and achieved second place at the XII International Chopin Piano Competition and the Special Prize for the Best Performance of a Polonaise. No first prize was awarded that year. [2] Earlier that year he won the third prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. [3] Other awards include the International Terence Judd Award (London, 1990), prize for Best Performance of Chamber Music (shared with three others) at the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, [4] and the Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition (Salt Lake City, Utah 1988).[ citation needed ]
Kenner has since performed as soloist with world class orchestras including the Hallé Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic, The Czech Philharmonic, the Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Brussels, the NHK Symphony Orchestra, and in the US with the principal orchestras of San Francisco, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Kansas City, New Jersey, Rochester, Baltimore, St. Paul and many others. [1] He has been invited to work with many renowned conductors, including Sir Charles Groves, Sir Andrew Davis, Hans Vonk, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Kazimierz Kord, Jiri Belohlavek and Antoni Wit.[ citation needed ]
His achievements have won him critical acclaim from all over the world. He has been praised as "one of the finest American pianists to come along in years" (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune), "...fulfilling a criterion which one only knows from great Chopinists such as Rubinstein, Benedetti-Michelangeli and Dinu Lipatti" (Winfried Wild, Schwaebische Zeitung, Germany). Adrian Jack of London's Independent describes one of Kenner's recitals as "...the best performance I have ever heard in the concert hall of all four of Chopin's Ballades". The Financial Times in London described Kenner as a "player of grace, subtle variety and strength, with a mature grasp of dramatic structure and proportion: in short, a grown-up musician nearing his peak." And the Washington Post recently proclaimed him "a major talent ... an artist whose intellect, imagination and pianism speak powerfully and eloquently." [3] The conductor Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, who recorded with pianists such as Arthur Rubinstein, claimed Kenner's Chopin interpretations to be the most sensitive and beautiful he remembered.
He has performed chamber music with the Tokyo String Quartet, the Endellion String Quartet, the Vogler String Quartet and the Panocha Quartet, among many others. He has toured with the Piazzoforte String Quintet, performing arrangements of Ástor Piazzolla.
Along with his concert appearances, Kenner has given masterclasses for many years at the International Piano Festival in Krynica, Poland as well as in major centres in Japan and America. More recently he has been giving classes at the International Summer Music Academy in Kraków, Poland. He has also been invited to adjudicate in international music competitions in Asia, Europe and the US. Since 2001 he has been engaged as a professor of piano at the Royal College of Music, [5] London, and some of his students have gone on to win prizes in international piano competitions. [6] Since 2011, when he met violinist Kyung-wha Chung at the Great Mountains Festival, they have created a performance partnership. They have worked together on an album and had multiple tours. [7]
Kevin Kenner's recordings include many discs of Chopin works as well as recordings of Ravel, Schumann and Piazzolla. The latter was awarded a “Fryderyk” in Poland in 2012 as best CD of the year under the category Chamber Music.
Kenner was a member of the jury at the XVI International Chopin Piano Competition in 2010, [8] [9] the XVIII International Chopin Piano Competition in 2021, [10] and will serve on the jury again at the XIX International Chopin Piano Competition in 2025. [11]
Kevin has made numerous recordings, including those of Chopin's Ballades, Preludes, and both Piano Concertos, with conductor Antoni Wit and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Poland. In 2007, he also released a recording of various works by Maurice Ravel.
The International Chopin Piano Competition, often referred to as the Chopin Competition, is a piano competition held in Warsaw, Poland. It was initiated in 1927 and has been held every five years since 1955. The competition is one of the founding members of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. It is also one of the few competitions devoted entirely to the works of a single composer, in this case, Frédéric Chopin. The competition is currently organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
Gabriela Montero is a Venezuelan pianist, known in particular for her real-time improvisation of complex musical pieces on themes suggested by her audience and other sources, as well as for performances of standard classical repertoire.
Edward Auer is an American classical pianist. In 1965, he became the first American to win a prize in the VII International Chopin Piano Competition. Due to his frequent and subsequent touring in Poland, Mr. Auer is recognized worldwide as one of the leading interpreters of Frédéric Chopin. Auer has also displayed his consummate skill and broad repertoire—from Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann to Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, and others—while touring the U.S., Europe, and Asia. He is currently a Professor of Piano at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.
Dina Yoffe is a pianist, pedagogue and winner of many musical competitions.
The XVI International Chopin Piano Competition was held in Warsaw, Poland from 3 to 20 October 2010, for the first time organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. Prize winners' concerts were held October 21–23. The first prize was awarded to Yulianna Avdeeva.
The XV International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 2 to 24 October 2005 in Warsaw, organized by the Fryderyk Chopin Society. The competition was won by Rafał Blechacz of Poland, who prevailed against 80 competitors from 18 countries.
The XIV International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 4 to 22 October 2000 in Warsaw. Li Yundi of China won the First Prize, becoming the first Chinese pianist and youngest first-prize winner. He was the first competitor to be awarded the First Prize in 15 years since Stanislav Bunin won it in 1985.
The XII International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 1 to 20 October 1990 in Warsaw. For the first time in the history of the competition, the first prize was not awarded.
The X International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 1 to 20 October 1980 in Warsaw. Đặng Thái Sơn, who in the final played with an orchestra for the first time in his life, won first prize, becoming the first pianist from Asia to do so. The elimination of Ivo Pogorelić after the third stage was a great source of controversy.
The IX International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 6 to 29 October 1975 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Krystian Zimerman of Poland, the youngest winner to that date at the age of 18.
The VIII International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 6 to 25 October 1970 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Garrick Ohlsson of the United States, becoming the first and so far only American winner.
The VII International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 21 February to 16 March 1965 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Martha Argerich of Argentina, becoming the first and so far only South American winner.
The VI International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 22 February to 13 March 1960 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Maurizio Pollini of Italy, becoming the first winner not from Poland or the Soviet Union.
The V International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 21 February to 20 March 1955 in Warsaw. The competition was won by Adam Harasiewicz of Poland.
The IV International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 15 September to 15 October 1949 in Warsaw. The first competition after World War II, it was held in connection with the centenary of Chopin's death. Polish pianist Halina Czerny-Stefańska and Soviet pianist Bella Davidovich shared first place. Due to the wartime destruction of the National Philharmonic, the auditions were held at the Roma Theatre on Nowogrodzka Street.
The III International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 21 February to 13 March 1937 in Warsaw. It was the last competition before the outbreak of World War II, and the competition would not be held again until 1949.
The II International Chopin Piano Competition was held from 6 to 23 March 1932 in Warsaw. Popular with the public, it attracted correspondents from all over the world, not least because of the high-profile composition of the competition jury. Soviet pianist Alexander Uninsky was awarded the first prize, after winning a coin toss against Imre Ungár, who was awarded second place.
The I International Chopin Piano Competition was the inaugural edition of the International Chopin Piano Competition, held from 23 to 30 March 1927 in Warsaw. Soviet pianist Lev Oborin was awarded the first prize.
Leonora Armellini is an Italian pianist.
The XIX International Chopin Piano Competition will be held from 2 to 23 October 2025 in Warsaw.
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