- Kevin Kenner
Kevin Kenner (born
May 19 1963 inCoronado, California ) is an American concert pianist who has performed all over the world, both as a soloist and with well known orchestras.Biography
Kenner was raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He had played piano pieces during
Sacrament Meeting by age seven. In about 1977 he accompaniedHartman Rector on a tour of the San Diego Mission in which he performed for many audiences. ["LDS Church News", Sep. 15th, 2008]In 1990 he won a bronze medal at the
International Tchaikovsky Competition . Later that year he won the top prize in getting second place in theInternational Frederick Chopin Piano Competition ; there was no first place winner. Kevin also won the Polonaise Prize for his performance of the Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise. Kevin Kenner is the only American ever to win medals at both competitions.Kevin attended the
Peabody Conservatory , where he studied with American pianistLeon Fleisher . In 1994-1995 he studied for a semester atBrigham Young University . Among his teachers there wasReid Nibley . He then served for two years as a missionary forThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Vienna Austria Mission. His mission president wasSpencer J. Condie . ["LDS Church News", September 15th, 2001]Kevin Kenner now lives in London with his wife, Sonia Dembinska, and his three daughters Antonia, Isabella, and Celina. He is currently a piano professor at the
Royal College of Music , London, and also gives masterclasses during the summer at theAcademy of Music in Kraków in Poland.He frequently tours with the
Piazzoforte String Quintet , which is comprised of the following musicians: Pawel Wajrak - Violin,Maciej Lulek - Violin, Ryszard Sneka - Viola, Konrad Gorka - Cello, and Grzegorz Frankowski - Double Bass. In 2006, Kevin and the Piazzoforte String Quintet jointly released a recording of Concert Tangos by Argentiniantango composerÁstor Piazzolla .Recordings
Kevin has made numerous recordings, including those of
Chopin 's Ballades, Preludes, and both Piano Concertos with conductorAntoni Wit and theNational Philharmonic Orchestra of Poland . In 2007, he also released a recording of various works by French composerMaurice Ravel .References
External links
* [http://www.kevinkenner.com/ Kevin Kenner's official website]
* [http://www.chopin.org/j_kenner.html Biography at the Chopin Foundation website]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
