Ivo Pogorelich

Ivo Pogorelich, who was born in 1958 in Belgrade, began studying piano at 7; at 12 he was admitted to the Central Music Academy of Moscow and later to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Leningrad. In 1976 he continued his training with Aliza Kezeradze, whom he married in 1980 and who remained his teacher until her death in 1996. In 1978 Pogorelich won the Concorso Alessandro Casagrande in Terni, Italy. Two years later, his early elimination from the Chopin Competition in Warsaw caused a scandal when Martha Argerich, a member of the jury, resigned in protest against the majority decision against Pogorelich, declaring, "He is a genius!"  This brought the young pianist to the attention of the international music world. He made his debut at New York's Carnegie Hall in 1981 and in the years following performed with the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Chicago and Boston Symphony Orchestras, and the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonics. Pogorelich currently concertizes in many music centers throughout Europe, North America, and Asia. In the 2012-13 season, he undertook a concert tour with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Myung-Whun Chung, appearing in Paris, Dortmund, Luxembourg, Innsbruck, and Berlin. In October 2013 he gave a recital tour in Spain, and in December he will make three appearances in Japan. Pogorelich is committed to fostering new talent and has established his own foundation t othat end; from 1989 to 1997 he led a festival in Bad Wörishofen where he presented highly talented young musicians. He is a supporter of humanitarian projects in Bosnia and was appointed by UNESCO as an "Ambassadeur de la bonne volonté."

LUCERNE FESTIVAL (IMF) debut on 8 September 1983 with an all-Chopin-program, including the Second and Third Piano Sonatas.