Roger Wright

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Roger Wright (born Roger Robinson Wright III on April 1, 1974) is an American classical concert pianist. Besides the high acclaim he has earned as a musician, Wright (participating under his nickname "Trey" Wright) has garnered national recognition for his achievements in the world of competitive Scrabble.

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[edit] Early life and musical training

Roger Wright was born in Houston, Texas, the son of Roger Wright, Jr., and Christy Wright. He did not begin piano study until age 12. As an adolescent he flourished under the tutelage of Houston teacher John Weems and at 18 made his concerto debut with the Houston Symphony Orchestra.

Wright entered the piano program at the University of Houston, where he continued his studies with Nancy Weems, Ruth Tomfohrde, Abbey Simon, and Horacio Gutiérrez, and earned his Bachelor of Music degree. He remained in Houston for graduate study, earning his Master of Music degree as a student of John Perry at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music; he would later do doctoral work with Perry at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

[edit] Career

While still in college, Wright began to attract notice from audiences and an ever-widening circle of critics for his virtuoso technique and profound musicality. He has since been a prizewinner in several national and international competitions (see "Awards and distinctions" below) and the recipient of high critical praise (see "Reviews and commentary"). His artistry is much in demand worldwide, leading to a busy schedule of performances, and has been preserved on several recordings (see "Discography").

One of Wright's most memorable, yet unusual, successes came at the Sydney International Piano Competition of Australia in 2000. The judges did not advance Wright to the semifinal round. The live audience and legions of radio listeners nationwide met this decision with such vehement protest and outrage that representatives of the Australian Broadcasting Company, which was the major sponsor of the event, responded by signing Wright to a recording contract—a distinction that was supposedly reserved exclusively for the Gold Medal Winner.

Wright has performed throughout the United States and in Canada, Australia, Germany, South Africa, Switzerland, Austria, and Ireland. He has toured with the Comedian Harmonists, Hudson Shad. Wright currently resides in the Los Angeles, California, area, where he performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and accompanist, teaches both collegiately and privately, and composes.

[edit] Scrabble

Another interest for Wright, the word game Scrabble, is much more than a relaxing casual pastime for the pianist. Wright is one of the top-rated players in the country, and his efforts in this secondary endeavor culminated in his winning the $25,000 first prize in the 2004 National Scrabble Championship of the United States. His finals win in that tournament was televised nationally by ESPN and (unlike his musical successes) resulted in his being featured on a number of national news and talk shows.

[edit] Awards and distinctions

[edit] Reviews and commentary

  • "The CD of the year, in my view, is a . . . recording of pianist Roger Wright. . . . His artistry is reminiscent of Moiseiwitsch on a good day." —Neville Cohn, The West Australian, 1 January 2001
  • ". . . hovered around the elegant and rarefied worlds of Kempff, Haskil and Lupu." —Cyrus Meher-Homji, International Record Review
  • "A charismatic and immensely gifted young pianist . . . a phenomenal pianist . . . a profoundly insightful and imaginative artist . . . music with a heart." —John Bell Young, St. Petersburg Times (FL), 4 March 2001
  • "1) Daniel Barenboim; 2) Roger Wright; 3) Stephen Kovacevich" —Gaylord Hamm, in a post at the rec.music.makers.piano newsgroup, in response to the query: "Which 3 living pianists in the world are generally considered to be the most skilled or gifted?" (10 February 2003)
  • "Wright is a major pianist.” —The Washington Post

[edit] Discography

  • Roger Wright: Piano Masterpieces. Eloquence 461 657-2. (2000). One selection on this CD, Peter Sculthorpe's "Between Five Bells," earned Sculthorpe the Australasian Performing Right Association’s (APRA) Award for the Most Performed Contemporary Classical Composition of 2001.
  • Roger Wright: Miniatures. Wright Sounds. (2002)
  • Roger Wright in Concert. Wright Sounds. (2005)

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

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