Đặng Thái Sơn

Template:Vietnamese name Dang Thai Son (Vietnamese: Đặng Thái Sơn) (born 1958, Hanoi, Vietnam) is a Vietnamese-Canadian classical pianist. He is known for being the first Asian pianist to win the first prize at the prestigious International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in 1980. However, the publicity which surrounded the controversial elimination of Ivo Pogorelić in the third round - leading to the Argentine pianist Martha Argerich quitting the jury in protest - somewhat overshadowed Son's award.

Musical career

Son began studying the piano in Hanoi, Vietnam with his mother. He was discovered by Russian pianist Isaac Katz in 1974, which allowed him to continue with his advanced training at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Russia with Vladimir Natanson and Dmitry Bashkirov.

Son has performed in more than 40 countries and on concert stages of such world-renowned halls as Lincoln Center, Barbican Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Herculessaal (Munich), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), Sydney Opera House (Sydney) and Suntory Hall (Tokyo).

Son has been featured with world-class orchestras including the Leningrad Philharmonic, Montreal Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Staatskapelle Berlin, Oslo Philharmonic, Warsaw National Philharmonic, Helsinki Philharmonic, Sydney Symphony Moscow Philharmonic, and many more. He has also under the direction of great music directors from Sir Neville Marriner and Pinchas Zukerman to Mariss Jansons and Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi.

He has performed throughout the world with celebrated international musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa, Kathleen Battle, Mstislav Rostropovich, Pinchas Zukerman, Murray Perahia, Vladimir Ashkenazy and Isaac Stern. In addition, he can be heard on Deutsche Grammophon, Melodya, Polskie Nagrania, CBS Sony, Victor JVC and Analekta recording labels.

He continues to give masterclasses throughout the world, and sits as a member of the jury for piano competitions, including Cleveland, Hamamatsu, Rachmaninoff, Sviatoslav Richter, and Arthur Rubenstein competitions. He was the member of the jury for the Chopin International Piano Competition in 2005 and 2010, where was the guest artist for the Opening Gala Concert along with Martha Argerich.

Son has received particular acclaim for his interpretations of the music of Chopin. He now resides in Montreal, Canada, where he teaches at the University of Montreal.

• “A genuine musician” —Isaac Stern
• “A pianist of superb discipline and undeniable distinction…spectacular and musically delirious” —The Boston Globe

External links

1. Official website - [1]
2. [2]