Jeffrey Swann (born November 24, 1951) is an American classical pianist.
Swann was born in
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
but moved to
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas, as a young child. He began piano studies at the age of four. While attending
St. Mark's School of Texas
The St. Mark's School of Texas is a nonsectarian preparatory day school for boys in grades 1–12 in Dallas, Texas, United States, accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
History
St. Mark's traces its origins to the T ...
, he studied for seven years with
Alexander Uninsky
Alexander Uninsky ( ua, Олекса́ндр Юні́нський; russian: Александр Юнинский, translit=Aleksandr Yuninskij, pronounced You-nin-skee; Kiev, Dallas, 19 December 1972) was an American classical pianist of Ukrainia ...
at
Southern Methodist University
, mottoeng = "The truth will make you free"
, established =
, type = Private research university
, accreditation = SACS
, academic_affiliations =
, religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church
, president = R. Gerald Turner
, prov ...
in Dallas. (He was known at St. Mark's for practicing without shoes - socks only.) He received his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most el ...
under
Beveridge Webster
Beveridge Webster (May 13, 1908, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – June 30, 1999, in Hanover, New Hampshire) was an American pianist and educator.
Beveridge Webster studied with his father, initially, and in 1921, at age 14, he began five years of ...
and
Joseph Bloch. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree under
Adele Marcus
Adele Marcus (February 22, 1906 May 3, 1995) was an American pianist and instructor whose career was based at the Juilliard School in New York City.
Life and career
Marcus was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the youngest of 13 children of a rabbi ...
, graduating with highest honors. During this time, he won the
Young Concert Artists International Auditions
Young Concert Artists is a New York City-based non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and promoting the careers of talented young classical musicians from all over the world. The competition, founded in 1961, allows artists from all over ...
in 1974 and opened the 1975–76 YCA Series at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...
with his New York debut.
He won first prize in the Dino Ciani Competition sponsored by
La Scala
La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...
in Milan, second prize at the
Queen Elisabeth Music Competition
The Queen Elisabeth Competition ( nl, Koningin Elisabethwedstrijd, french: Concours musical international Reine Élisabeth) is an international competition for career-starting musicians held in Brussels. The competition is named after Queen ...
in Brussels,
and top honors in the Warsaw Chopin,
Van Cliburn
Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn Jr. (; July 12, 1934February 27, 2013) was an American pianist who, at the age of 23, achieved worldwide recognition when he won the inaugural International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958 during the Cold Wa ...
,
Vianna da Motta and Montreal Competitions.
References
Musicians from Dallas
American classical pianists
Male classical pianists
American male pianists
1951 births
Living people
Prize-winners of the Queen Elisabeth Competition
St. Mark's School (Texas) alumni
Prize-winners of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition
Juilliard School alumni
20th-century American pianists
Classical musicians from Texas
21st-century classical pianists
20th-century American male musicians
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century American pianists
Music & Arts artists
{{US-classical-pianist-stub