Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

July 24, 1947 in New York City, NY

Death

:

February 1, 2020 in Brooklyn, NY

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

Peter Serkin was born on July 24, 1947, in New York City, to a family of musicians. His father, Rudolf Serkin, was a renowned pianist, and his mother, Irene Busch, was a violinist. Serkin began playing the piano at the age of four and gave his first public performance at the age of ten. He studied with his father and with Mieczyslaw Horszowski, a Polish pianist and teacher. Serkin made his debut with the New York Philharmonic at the age of 12, playing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor. He went on to perform with many other major orchestras, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Serkin was known for his interpretations of the works of Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Schubert. He was also a champion of contemporary music and premiered works by many composers, including Elliott Carter, Olivier Messiaen, and Charles Wuorinen. Serkin won many awards throughout his career, including the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance in 1997 for his recording of Brahms' Piano Quintet with the Guarneri Quartet. He was also awarded the Avery Fisher Prize in 1986, which is considered one of the most prestigious awards in classical music. Serkin was a faculty member at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the Bard College Conservatory of Music in New York. He was also a frequent guest artist at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, where he performed and taught for over 50 years. Serkin was known for his intense and introspective approach to music-making. He often performed with his eyes closed, lost in the music. He was also known for his meticulous preparation and attention to detail, spending hours studying the score and analyzing the composer's intentions. Serkin died on February 1, 2020, at the age of 72. His death was mourned by the classical music community, who remembered him as a brilliant pianist and a passionate advocate for music.

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