Murray Perahia
With a performance career that spans more than 40 years, Murray Perahia has become one of
the most sought-after and cherished pianists of our time, performing in all of the major
international music venues and with every leading orchestra. He is also the principal guest
conductor of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields.
Born in New York, Mr. Perahia started playing piano at the age of four and later attended
Mannes College The New School for Music, where he majored in conducting and composition.
His summers were spent at the Marlboro Festival, where he collaborated with such musicians
as Rudolf Serkin, Pablo Casals, and members of the Budapest String Quartet. He also studied
at the time with Mieczysław Horszowski. In subsequent years, he developed a close
friendship with Vladimir Horowitz, whose perspective and personality were an abiding
inspiration. In 1972, Mr. Perahia won the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition, and
in 1973, he gave his first concert at the Aldeburgh Festival. In Aldeburgh, he worked
closely with Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears, accompanying the latter in many lieder
recitals. Mr. Perahia was co-artistic director of the festival from 1981 to 1989.
Mr. Perahia has a wide and varied discography. Most recently, Sony Classical released a
box set entitled Murray Perahia: The First 40 Years, featuring 68 CDs and five
DVDs; last year, a five-CD box set was released of his Chopin recordings, including both
concertos, opp. 12 and 25 etudes, the ballades, Op. 28 preludes, and various shorter works.
Previous solo recordings feature Bach's partitas nos. 1, 5, and 6; and Beethoven's piano
sonatas, opp. 14, 26, and 28. He is the recipient of two Grammy Awards for his recordings
of Chopin's complete etudes and Bach's English suites nos. 1, 3, and 6; he has additionally
received numerous Grammy nominations. Mr. Perahia has also won several
Gramophone awards.
An honorary fellow of the Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music, Mr. Perahia
holds honorary doctorates from the University of Leeds and Duke University. In 2004, he was
awarded an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth
II in recognition of his outstanding service to music.