Ronald Cavaye

Ronald Cavaye (born August, 1951) is a British pianist, born in England and a resident of the United Kingdom. He is a classical pianist and writer.

Biography

Ronald Cavaye was born in Aldershot, UK in 1951. He began to play the piano at the age of 11 and entered the music department of Winchester School of Art at the age of 16. He studied there for 2 years with the Canadian-born pianist, Carlina Carr. In 1969 he began studying at the Royal College of Music in London where his teachers were Malcolm Binns and Oliver Davies. In 1973 he gained a DAAD scholarship to study at the Staatliche Hochschule fur Musik und Theater in Hannover where his teacher was Hans Leygraf. A further scholarship from the British Council enabled him to continue his studies at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest where he studied with Pál Kadosa and György Kurtág. Marrying the Hungarian pianist, Valeria Szervánszky in 1977, Cavaye then went to teach in Japan where he was appointed professor of piano at the Musashino Academy of Music in 1979. Now living in London, Ronald Cavaye returns regularly to Japan for concerts, teaching and to work as a translator/narrator for the Kabuki and Bunraku theatres.

Performances

Ronald Cavaye specialised mainly in music of the 20th Century but now concentrates on the piano duo repertoire, principally with his wife, Valeria Szervánszky. Szervánszky and Cavaye has performed in Europe and the Far East, China and the USA. They have recorded the Mozart Concertos for 2 and 3 pianos, the Stravinsky's arrangement of "The Rite of Spring" for piano duet as well as works by Ravel and Debussy.They also made the first complete CD recording of the first four volumes (solos, duets and two pianos) of György Kurtág's "Játékok" – "Games". In 1996 Ronald Cavaye also gave the Japanese première Kurtág's "…quasi una fantasia…" Op.27 No.1 with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Michiyoshi Inoue. Ronald Cavaye is a Steinway Artist.

Master-classes & Competitions

Ronald Cavaye has taught master-classes at the International Bartók Festival in Hungary, the Central Conservatory in Beijing and the Musikhochschule in Graz. He also regularly serves on the jury of international piano competitions such as the World Piano Competition in Cincinnati, USA, the Concours International de Piano XXeme. siecle in Orléans, France and the Sakai International Piano Competition in Japan.

Writing

Ronald Cavaye is the author of "Music Education of the Japanese" (in Japanese): Shinchosha, Japan and has written articles for the Edinburgh Festival, the Paris Autumn Festival and The Times newspaper, London.

Kabuki

He is also one of the world's foremost experts on the Kabuki theatre of Japan. Since 1982 he has been a translator/narrator for the Earphone Guide in use at Tokyo's Kabuki-za and National Theatres and is the author of "Kabuki - A Pocket Guide": Charles E. Tuttle, USA and Japan, "A Guide to the Japanese Stage": (with Paul Griffith and Akihiko Senda), Kodansha International, Japan and has translated for "Kabuki Plays on Stage Vol. III – Darkness and Desire": University of Hawai’i Press.