Abstract

A milestone for pianist KEVIN KENNER was the year 1990, when he gained worldwide recognition with three prestigious awards: top prize at the International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, the International Terence Judd Award in London, and third prize at the Pyotr Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow. Born in southern California, Kenner first studied with pianist Krzysztof Brzuza and later in Poland with Ludwik Stefański. After further studies with Leon Fleisher, he concluded his formal training in Hanover with Karl-Heinz Kammerling. He taught at the Royal College of Music in London and in 2015 accepted a professorship of the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Kenner has performed as soloist with world-class orchestras including the BBC Symphony, Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin, Warsaw Philharmonic, Czech Philharmonic, National Orchestra of Belgium, Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century, NHK Symphony of Japan and San Francisco Symphony. He has collaborated with conductors such as Charles Groves, Andrew Davis, Jiří Bělohlávek, Jacek Kaspszyk and Stanisław Skrowaczewski. He has worked with numerous string quartets, including the Belcea, Tokyo, Endellion, Vogler, Casal and Panocha, and as duo partner with cellist Matt Haimovitz and, since 2011, violinist Kyung Wha Chung. He is a frequent guest at the Pyeong Chang Music Festival in Korea and ‘Chopin and his Europe’ in Warsaw. His recordings include many Chopin discs, including a recital on period piano, released in the ‘Real Chopin’ series by the Fryderyk Chopin Institute. His CD Chopin Resonances was singled out by Gramophone magazine as one of the top 50 Chopin discs ever recorded. In July last year, his CD with works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski was published by the Institute in the new series ‘Resonance’, garnering excellent reviews.