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Barry DouglasBritish pianist
Date of Birth: 23.04.1960
Country:  Great Britain |
Content:
Barry Douglas: Biography
Barry Douglas, a British pianist, was born on April 23, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. He began studying piano, cello, clarinet, and organ while growing up in Belfast. Initially, Douglas attended Methodist College Belfast (MCB), and at the age of 16, he became a student of Felicitas LeWinter. LeWinter had studied under Emil von Sauer, a German pianist who was a student of the renowned Franz Liszt. According to Douglas himself, LeWinter was the first teacher who truly made him work, as he had often been lazy at the instrument before. In his childhood, he had actually wanted to become a truck driver, delivering goods to different European countries and exploring the world. It was in kindergarten that he first heard someone playing the piano and asked his parents for one. They borrowed a piano from a neighbor, and Barry started taking lessons at the age of four. However, his true inspiration came from his encounter with LeWinter.
At the age of 18, Douglas received a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London. He studied under John Barstow for four years and then took private lessons with Maria Curcio, who was Artur Schnabel's last and favorite pupil. Douglas also studied in Paris with Russian pianist Yevgeny Malinin.
Accomplishments
Barry Douglas's talent and hard work led to numerous achievements in his career. In 1985, he won the bronze medal at the Van Cliburn Competition in Texas and the top prize at the Paloma O'Shea International Piano Competition in Santander, Spain. In 1986, he made history by winning the gold medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition, becoming the first foreign pianist to win since Van Cliburn in 1958.
In 1998, Douglas founded his ensemble, "Camerata Ireland," which is supported by Queen Elizabeth II and Mary McAleese, the former President of Ireland. Douglas devotes more and more time to conducting the orchestra, and they have recorded for labels such as RCA and Satirino France. His debut album featured a recording of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." Since then, Douglas has released numerous recordings, including his completion of Beethoven's five piano concertos with the Camerata Ireland and a recording of Beethoven's "Triple Concerto" for violin, cello, and piano with Chee-Yun Kim and Andrés Díaz.
Current Work
Barry Douglas currently serves as the artistic director of the International Piano Festival in Manchester, England, and the Clandeboye Festival in Clandeboye, Bangor, County Down. He is married and raises three children with his wife, dividing his time between Paris and the Irish town of Lurgan. In 2002, he was honored as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He is also an invited professor of piano at the Royal College of Music and has received honorary doctorates in music from Queen's University Belfast and the National University of Ireland.
