John O'Conor
John O'Conor (born 18 January 1947) is an Irish pianist and
Early career
Born in Dublin, O'Conor attended Belvedere College in that city. During his early Dublin studies, his main piano teacher was J. J. O'Reilly. Later he was awarded an Austrian Government scholarship that enabled him to study in Vienna with the renowned pedagogue Dieter Weber. He also made a special study of Beethoven with the legendary German pianist Wilhelm Kempff. In 1973 O'Conor was unanimously awarded First Prize at the International Beethoven Piano Competition in Vienna which launched his international career, and in 1975 he won First Prize at the Bösendorfer Competition.
Performances
O'Conor has given recitals in many of the world's most famous halls including New York's
in Tokyo.He has performed in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, Australia and
Recordings
O'Conor has made more than 20 recordings for the Telarc label, including the complete
International piano competitions
O'Conor was a co-founder of the Dublin International Piano Competition, of which he is artistic director and chairman of the Jury. He has been invited to serve on the juries of many international piano competitions, including those in
Teaching
O'Conor currently holds the position of professor of piano and distinguished visiting artist at Shenandoah Conservatory (near Washington, D.C.), and retired as director of the Royal Irish Academy of Music in September 2010 although he continues to teach there regularly.
Since 1997, he has taken on the mantle of Kempff, and gives the annual Beethoven Interpretation Course in Kempff's own villa in Positano, Italy, where Kempff gave the course from 1957. A television programme made in 2007 (the 50th anniversary of the founding of the course by Kempff) is now available on YouTube entitled Beethoven Bootcamp.
He gives masterclasses and lectures in many of the places he performs, as well as in many of the major music institutions, including the
Recognition
For his services to music, O'Conor has been awarded Honorary Doctorates by the
References
- ^ "Beethoven - Piano Concertos Nos. 1, 3, & 4 - Telarc: 2CD80704". Presto Classical. 27 October 2008. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Beethoven: Piano Concertos No 1, 3 & 4 / John O'Conor | WETA". www.weta.org. Archived from the original on 6 March 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ Patsy Morita (18 January 1947). "John O'Conor | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Beethoven Cello Sonatas - Ailbhe McDonagh - John O'Conor - Steinway & Sons".
- ^ "When Beethoven took up the challenge of creating cello music". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
- ^ R.M. Campbell (3 April 2008). "Irish pianist O'Conor's all-Beethoven recital is rooted in a deep understanding". Seattlepi.com. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ "Press Release - Communications Office - Trinity College Dublin". www.tcd.ie. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
- ^ See https://musicologyireland.com/honorary-members; retrieved 9 April 2020.
- ^ "Department of Foreign Affairs". www.irishembassy.jp. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2022.