Emanuel Ax
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Emanuel Ax (born June 8, 1949) is a Jewish-American pianist.
Born in Lvov, Ukraine (then a constituent republic of the Soviet Union) to parents Joachim and Hellen Ax, both Nazi concentration camp survivors. Emanuel began to study piano at the age of six and Joachim was his first piano teacher. When he was eight the family moved to Warsaw and then two years later, to Winnipeg, Canada where he continued to study music, including as a member of The Junior Musical Club of Winnipeg. In 1961 the family moved to New York City and Emanuel continued his studies at the Juilliard School under Mieczysław Munz. In 1970 he received his B.A. in French at Columbia University and became an American citizen.
- 1974 - Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv
- 1979 - Avery Fisher Prize in New York
- Award of Excellence, The International Center in New York
Ax is a particular supporter of contemporary composers and has given three world premieres in the last few seasons; Century Rolls by John Adams, Seeing by Christopher Rouse and Red Silk Dance by Bright Sheng. He also performs works by such diverse figures as Sir Michael Tippett, Hans Werner Henze, Joseph Schwantner and Paul Hindemith, as well as more traditional composers such as Beethoven, Mozart and Chopin. Ax regularly performs duo recitals with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and played quartets with Isaac Stern, Jaime Laredo and Yo-Yo Ma. Though the quartet had to disband in 2001 when Stern died, they recorded works for Sony by Brahms, Fauré, Beethoven, Schumann and Mozart. Emanuel is also a featured guest artist in a documentary film about the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Peter Oundjian, Five Days in September; the Rebirth of an Orchestra produced by Rhombus films.
He lives in New York City with his wife, pianist Yoko Nozaki, and has two children, Joseph and Sarah.
[edit] Awards and Recognitions
Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance:
- Emanuel Ax & Yo-Yo Ma for Brahms: Cello and Piano Sonatas in E Minor and F (1986)
- Emanuel Ax & Yo-Yo Ma for Beethoven: Cello and Piano Sonata No. 4 in C & Variations (1987)
- Emanuel Ax, Jaime Laredo, Yo-Yo Ma & Isaac Stern for Brahms: Piano Quartets (Op. 25 and 26) (1992)
- Emanuel Ax & Yo-Yo Ma for Brahms: Sonatas for Cello & Piano (1993)
- Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo Ma & Richard Stoltzman for Brahms/Beethoven/Mozart: Clarinet Trios (1996)
Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without orchestra):
- Emanuel Ax for Haydn: Piano Sonatas, Nos. 32, 47, 53, 59 (1995)
- Emanuel Ax for Haydn: Piano Sonatas Nos. 29, 31, 34, 35 & 49 (2004)
