PIANO 1975 : Quatrième Prix
Pianist Larry (Michael) Graham’s performances have garnered acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Winner of the Prize of the Public by overwhelming vote at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1975, he was also the top-ranked American in this competition. Other international successes followed as in 1977 at the Arthur Rubinstein competition in Tel Aviv. In 1986, he closed out his brilliant competitive career with First Prize at the McMahan international Music Competition.
Larry Graham has subsequently played over 35 different concerti in performances with orchestras both in the United States and abroad. There have been numerous solo engagements as well. His mastery of the repertoire encompasses a full range of piano works from Bach through Stravinsky.
In addition to his activities as a soloist, Larry Graham has also performed extensively with chamber music ensembles along with such artists as Gil Shaham, Arnold Steinhardt, and Ransom Wilson. He has also appeared with the Guarneri, Takacs, and Tokyo string quartets. For eleven years, he was the pianist for the highly acclaimed Pablo Casals Trio, the only ensemble that Mr. Casals personally lent his name to.
Larry Graham received his training at the Juilliard School in New York as scholarship student of Rosina Lhevinne and Martin Canin. Early successes in piano competitions such as the Kosciusko, Bloch and G.B.Dealey resulted in his debut with Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1965. In 1969 he won the Concert Artists auditions which led to his debut at New York’s Carnegie Recital Hall. As a teacher, Larry Graham has had abundant distinction, his students having competed successfully at local, state and international levels. For 25 years he was Professor of piano at the University of Colorado and continues working with gifted pre-college students.
Larry Graham balances his love of teaching and performing with an active outdoors life. An avid runner, backpacker, and rock climber, he was the subject of an American PBS documentary that explored the relationship between the two very diverse disciplines that he has pursued.