David Helfgott was born in Melbourne and grew up in Perth, Western Australia. In his teens he won the state final of the AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION’s INSTRUMENTAL & VOCAL COMPETITION on six seperate occasions and came to the attention of Barenboim, Katchen and Vasary. Isaac Stern was so impressed by his playing at age fourteen [...]
Paul Grabowsky was born in Lae, New Guinea in 1958 and grew up in Melbourne. He metriculated, dux of the state of Victoria and graduated from the University Of Melbourne in 1979. While still a student, working extensively with Australian composer, George Dreyfus, he composed his first major work for jazz orchestra, GRAND ILLUSIONS, and [...]
Born in Venice in 1967, Pietro de Maria studied piano with Giorgio Vianello and Gino Gorini and, revealing a precocious talent, he won First Prize at the ALFRED CORTOT INTERNATIONAL PIANO COMPETITION in Milan at the age of just thirteen. He graduated from the CONSERVATORIUM OF VENICE and continued his studies with Maria Tipo at [...]