Abbey Simon

Abbey Simon (b. 8 January 1922, New York) is a Jewish-American classical pianist.

Education

At age 11, Simon started his studies with Józef Hofmann and David Saperton at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Simon also took lessons from Leopold Godowsky [ "Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians", Seventh Edition, Revised by Nicolas Slonimsky, Schimer Books, New York, 1984] and Harold Bauer. Shortly after graduation, he debuted at the Town Hall and Carnegie Hall in New York City.

Professional Career

Hailed by the New York Times as a "supervirtuoso" [http://www.uecrescent.org/articles/stories/200101/26/pianist01262001_news.html] , Simon is a specialist in romantic and early twentieth-century works, especially the works of Frédéric Chopin, Robert Schumann, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Ravel. He has toured internationally, including in Europe, the Middle East, and the Pacific. He has appeared with major orchestras on all continents including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and London Symphony Orchestra among others.

An active artist-teacher, Simon has given masterclasses throughout the worlds leading conservatories including the Royal Academy of Music in London, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and the Geneva Conservatory among others. Simon currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland, and Houston, Texas, where he teaches at the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. In the past, he has served on the faculties of the Manhattan School of Music, at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and the Juilliard School of Music in New York City. Among his students are pianists Frederic Chiu [http://www.giles.com/yamaha1/PR/mus/piano/2003/abbey_simon_0803.htm] ] and Roger Wright [http://www.wright-sounds.com/WSartist.htm] . While not a student of his, the Argentine pianist Martha Argerich benefited from occasional coachings with Simon [ [http://www.musicalamerica.com/features/?fid=66&fyear=2001] ] .

Abbey Simon is a Yamaha Artist.

Awards and Honors

* Walter Naumburg Prize, (1940)
* National Orchestral Award
* Federation of Music Prize
* Harriet Cohen Medal
* Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Medal
* Ford Foundation Award
* Distinguished Teacher Award at the Moores School of Music

Discography

As one of the most recorded concert artists of all time, he has recorded the complete solo and orchestral works of Ravel, Chopin, and Rachmaninov for Vox Records, as well as works of Brahms, Grieg, Rachmaninov, Dohnanyi on the Phillips label. He also recorded works of Chopin, Brahms, Franck, and Schumann for the EMI label.

References

External links

* [http://www.abbeysimon.com/ Abbey Simon Official Website]
* Moores School of Music Faculty Profile: [http://www.music.uh.edu/people/simon.html Abbey Simon]
* Yamaha Artists: [http://www.yamaha.com/Artists/ArtistDetail/0,,CNTID%25253D29305%252526CTID%25253D501396%252526CNTYP%25253DARTIST%252526VNM%25253DWORKING,00.html Abbey Simon]
* The Juilliard School: [http://www.juilliard.edu/asp/facultysearch/college_details.php?FacultyId=211&School=College&Division=Music Abbey Simon]
* [http://www.chron.com/CDA/archives/archive.mpl?id=2007_4453516 Article on Simon's involvement with the Moores School of Music]