Stephen Kovacevich has had a long and distinguished career as a concert pia… Read Full Bio ↴Stephen Kovacevich has had a long and distinguished career as a concert pianist and is particularly renowned for his interpretations of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms. A native of Los Angeles, his international reputation has been built both on his concert appearances and the highly acclaimed recordings he has made throughout his career.

Mr. Kovacevich's recent and upcoming engagements in North America include appearances with the Chicago, Pittsburgh, Montreal, Houston, Detroit and Indianapolis symphonies; the Los Angeles Philharmonic and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra; and recitals in Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Toronto and New York's Metropolitan Museum.

Abroad, Stephen Kovacevich regularly appears with the major orchestras in the UK and on the continent, at the most prestigious summer festivals including Verbier, Edinburgh and the Proms and in recital in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Cologne and Geneva. He also frequently tours throughout Australia and Japan. As a tribute to his interpretations of the works of Beethoven, Mr. Kovacevich was recently featured in a six-concert series "Kovacevich, Beethoven and the Piano" which was produced in collaboration with the Harrods International Piano Series, the London Philharmonic and the South Bank Centre. The project included performances of the Emperor Concerto with Kurt Masur and the LPO in the UK and Germany, three all Beethoven recitals at Royal Festival Hall, public master classes and a play/conduct concert with the London Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.

In addition to his performances as a pianist, Mr. Kovacevich has built an extensive career as a conductor. Since making his conducting debut with the Houston Symphony in 1984, he has led the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver, Sydney and New Zealand symphonies, Aspen Chamber Symphony, BBC Philharmonic, Gulbenkian Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. He is currently in the process of conducting all nine Beethoven symphonies and play/conducting the five Beethoven concertos with the London Mozart Players.

Stephen Kovacevich has enjoyed two long-term relationships with recording companies, first Philips and then EMI. His concerto recordings for Philips, including works by Beethoven, Brahms and Bartok, have long been staples in the catalogue. As an exclusive EMI artist, he recorded both Brahms Concertos with the London Philharmonic and Wolfgang Sawallisch; No. 1 was nominated for a Grammy and won the 1993 Gramophone Award and the Stereo Review Record of the Year, while No. 2 won a Diapason D’Or. In addition, he is featured with four discs in the Philips "Great Pianists of the 20th Century" series while his recording of the complete Beethoven Sonatas for EMI is the culmination of ten years of work and was released as a boxed set in October, 2003. His latest release for EMI is a disc of Chopin and Ravel.

Mr. Kovacevich made his debut as a pianist at the age of 11. Seven years later he moved to London to study with Dame Myra Hess and he has been a resident of London since that time.
Photographs
Stephen KovacevichDavid ThomasPianist Stephen KovacevichClassical Pianist Stephen Kovacevich
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Additional Information

* Recordings

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major Op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brioStephen Kovacevich Lyrics

Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major Op. 7: I. Allegro molto e con brio
Stephen Kovacevich Lyrics