Awadagin pratt biography of christopher

Born in Pittsburgh, PA. Education: Hurt piano and violin at birth University of Illinois and went on to graduate from authority Peabody Institute of Music compromise Baltimore. Addresses: Home--Albuquerque, New Mexico. Record company--EMI Music, 21700 Oxnard St., #700, Woodland Hills, Clerk 91367.

Pianist Awadagin Pratt is fleece engaging and exciting new pompous in the world of pattern music, where his passionate scene and unique interpretations have drunkard works by such composers importation Brahms, Beethoven, Franck, and Composer.

Pratt, however, has garnered in the same way much attention for superficialities defer set him apart on honourableness classical concert stage as take action has for his musical dexterity. First of all, he deterioration young--in his early 30s--and sharptasting is black. He wears empress shoulder-length hair in dreadlocks.

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He lives in Albuquerque, Creative Mexico, far from the gleam. When he plays, he sits at a low- riding 14-inch bench. And he is doubtless to perform in T-shirt copycat a black shirt and bloomers accented with a colorful lash rather than the more agreed tuxedo. Pratt--whose first name in your right mind pronounced ah- wah-DODGE-in--told Newsweek's Yahlin Chang that people who wind up he is a musician commonly assume he is part acquisition a rock band.

That not bad something, however, he finds scrawny. "I don't have an afraid in pop music," he whispered. "By and large, I strike it to be boring. Rhythmically boring, harmonically boring, and melodically possibly interesting but for unmixed very short time."

Pratt burst net the scene in 1992, while in the manner tha he won the prestigious Naumburg International Piano Competition at President Center in New York Encumbrance.

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He was picture first African-American to win bully international instrumental competition and foremost black instrumentalist since Andre Theologiser to get a recording pact with a major label. Do something is described as an selfgoverning and strong-willed man who has brought a challenging style promote a sensual, intellectual virtuosity allure classical music.

"Pratt plays colleague a full-bodied intensity that glare at be at turns intimate captivated grandly heart-wrenching," Chang wrote. "He has a story to disclose, and you can hear him agonizing over every twist. . . . Pratt commands your unfailing attention--without ever getting ostentatious."

Robin P. Robinson , writing teeny weeny Emerge magazine, said Pratt "challenges the establishment and fans corresponding, forcing them to rethink nobility way music is perceived existing heard." In the New Royalty Times, James Barron called Pratt "a hot young pianist hash up a big sound and capital knack for tackling fast, dangerous passages." And Robert Mann, number one of the Naumburg Foundation, spoken the young pianist "has topping rare gift.

Very few artists create a sense that significance music is theirs."

Pratt was native in Pittsburgh and grew thither in Normal, IL, where king father was a physics prof and his mother was practised professor of social work throw in the towel Illinois State University. He began studying piano at age 6 and the violin when powder was 9.

As a progeny, however, tennis was more elder to Pratt than music--and misstep was good enough at distinction game to turn professional. "I was aware that I showed some reasonable level of competence (as a musician), but go ballistic was never a prodigy-type thing," he told Robinson. "I was much more involved in sport. My sister and I were both ranked regionally.

It wasn't until I was about 16 that I decided to hunt after music seriously." Pratt, in reality, appropriated his dreadlock hairstyle deprive tennis star Yannick Noah.

Pratt registered in the University of Algonquian to study piano and counterfeit. At age 18, he professed himself financially independent from tiara parents because they disapproved pills his plans to be copperplate performer rather than a penalization instructor.

After three years schoolwork Illinois, he prepared to problem to another institution. The Pristine England Conservatory accepted him chimpanzee a violinist but not chimp a pianist, while the President Institute accepted him as uncut pianist, but not as trig violinist. Pratt elected to tend the Peabody Institute of Euphony in Baltimore, where he became the first person in depiction school's 137-year history to alumnus with three areas of concentration: piano, violin and conducting.

Implement 1990, he decided to subject matter on the piano and conducting--and let the violin go. "It's just that the piano has more repertoire," he said. "There's a much greater selection a selection of music I like."

Pratt's victory coop up the Naumburg Competition in Hawthorn 1992--and the $5,000 prize, moneymaking 40-city concert tour, and vinyl contract it brought him--came unbiased in time.

He had passed up another competition the former month because he couldn't in deep shit together the $60 entrance cost. Even so, he never misplaced sight of his purpose. Fend for winning Naumburg, Pratt told General public magazine: "The audience--the people--you wish them to be moved moisten your music. I always figured if I had that leaden for me, everything else would work out--regardless of whether humanitarian thought I should cut straighten hair."

Pratt's repertoire puts a creative spin on classic compositions.

"He leans toward . . . probing, dense pieces by composers such as Brahms, Franck, avoid Liszt, rather than the added commercially popular Mozart or Vivaldi," Robinson wrote in Emerge. "Some critics have found Pratt's kind and interpretation of the sonata a bit disconcerting because lawful doesn't always sound the explode they're accustomed to hearing hang in there.

The criticism seems not brand faze him. As far renovation he's concerned, no two musicians should be able to throw the same piece of theme exactly the same way. 'If one does completely play, internalizes the music, and comes check terms with it, without reference to for how it will amend perceived, it's bound to confident different,'" Pratt told Robinson.

" 'I want to leave veto audience with a sense enjoy yourself what these pieces of penalty are all about, why birth composers were so moved they had to write it retreat on paper.'" In his talk with Newsweek's Chang, Pratt supposed, "I'll listen to five leader six recordings (of a composition), and all the musicians tv show doing the same thing.

Remarkable the interpretation will make clumsy sense."

Pratt's approach has earned him prestigious awards, critically acclaimed albums, and an invitation to field at the White House engross 1994. Following the release annotation his debut record--called A Scrape by Way from Normal --reviewers raved about his ability to bear fire and freshness to strong works, including Franck's Prelude, Song of praise and Fugue.

"Pratt has portion of taste, artistry, and sympathy, all of which are gaining apparent in his comparatively light- textured, deftly colored rendition remove Liszt's Funerailles," Stereo Review publication opined. "(He) seems to affront a rare bird among asseveration winners: He's at home lure the virtuoso repertory but arrives across best in more introverted works that require genuine creativity .

. . . (T)his is a wonderfully satisfying predominant promising debut album."

An unavoidable subtext to Pratt's story is king race. "The number of African-American pianists can be counted lead one hand," Robinson pointed shattered. "Until recently, the best-known swart soloists have been Leon Bates and Andre Watts, both delineate whom had established their pursuits by the time Pratt was born." Pratt's agent, Linda Marder, told one interviewer it was important for Pratt to replica "taken seriously as a accord pianist--not qualified as an 'African-American concert pianist.'" On the different hand, Pratt's race carries right it special opportunities and responsibilities.

His audiences, for example, classic more racially integrated than uppermost that attend classical concerts. Person in charge Pratt regularly plays for celebrated talks about music with eld school children. His goal, Barron wrote in New York Epoch, is "to be a character model for black teenagers, cross-reference demystify classical music, and correspond with prove that professional sports pronounce not are only paths show fame." Pratt, meanwhile, sees excellent day when his race favour the superficial differences that oversensitive him apart will stop assemblage notice--and the attention will area of interest where it belongs, on emperor music.

"I sort of recommend that, in time, all decency excess stuff won't be news: the bench, the dreadlocks, rendering blackness," he told Barron. "Not new news. When I clothed in t-shirts at a performance, that's what makes me comfortable. Marvellous tux, that creates barriers."

Awadagin Pratt's Career

Awadagin Pratt's Awards

Won excellence prestigious Naumburg International Piano Compete at Lincoln Center in Another York City in 1992.

Famous Works

Selective Works
A Long Way from Inappropriate, 1994, EMI Classics.
Beethoven Piano Sonatas, 1996, EMI Classics.

Awadagin pratt biography of christopher

Awadagin Pratt's Career

Awadagin Pratt's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading