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Benedetto Lupo, pianist...

b i o g r a p h y...........back to roster....up August 2007 Benedetto Lupo has been described by critics as an "exceptionally fine pianist ... who has a remarkably fine touch and beautiful tone control" (The Oregonian). Praised for his "keen musical intelligence and probing intellect" (Miami Herald), and for combining "meticulous technique with romantic sensitivity" (Birmingham News), he has gained worldwide recognition. After winning the bronze medal in the 1989 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, he made acclaimed debuts with several major American orchestras, as well as chamber appearances with the Tokyo String Quartet. His New York City recital debut at Alice Tully Hall followed in 1992, the same year he won the Terence Judd International Award, which in turn led to his debut at London's Wigmore Hall. 2007/08 promises another hectic season filled with important engagements. He reunites with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig under Vladimir Jurowski, performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand, and later performs Ravel’s other piano concerto with the London Philharmonic at Royal Festival Hall. He is also slated to perform with the Bilbao Symphony, Aarhus Symphony, Stuttgart Philharmonic in Milan and the RAI Orchestra in Turino. In the US, he is scheduled to appear with the symphonies of Sarasota, Honolulu, Austin and Alabama. Lupo's 2006-07 season included performances with the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Jacksonville, Tucson, Phoenix, and Augusta symphonies, as well as several recitals, including the Cliburn Concert Series in Ft. Worth. In his native Italy, he opened the Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli Festival of Brescia and Bergamo with Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy under Sir Neville Marriner and went on tour with the Verdi Symphony Orchestra under Marko Letonja. Elsewhere in Europe he performed with the philharmonic orchestras of Liège, Malaga and Granada. Benedetto Lupo has performed under distinguished conductors with many great orchestras. His 2005-06 highlights included touring with the London Philharmonic under Vladimir Jurowski and performing in Bucharest, Merano, and Zagreb. He traveled to Italy and Brazil for recitals before coming to the United States to play with the St. Louis and New World symphonies under Bernard Labadie. He also performed with the Austin, Oregon, Cedar Rapids, Louisiana, Alabama and Columbus symphony orchestras, and returned for his third appearance with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. In 2004-05 he appeared with Quebec's esteemed Les Violons du Roy conducted by Bernard Labadie, and performed with the Montreal Symphony under conductor Kent Nagano. Lupo has performed extensively throughout both American continents and Europe, returning to North America each season. He has appeared as soloist with the Columbus, Phoenix, Tucson, Utah, Des Moines, Huntsville, Charlotte, Rochester, Seattle, Vancouver, Hallé, and Brazilian symphony orchestras, as well as the Bergen (Norway) and Slovak philharmonic orchestras, among others. He has performed at numerous music festivals worldwide, including the Tivoli in Copenhagen, the Villa Medici in Rome, the Chopin Festival in Poland, the Schubert Festivals in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and Chicago's Grant Park Festival. His recordings include a recent and acclaimed version of Nino Rota's Concerto Soirée with the Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana on the Nuova Era label, and a new recording of the same work on Harmonia Mundi, which received the prestigious Diapason d'Or from the French magazine Diapason. With Peter Maag and the RSI Symphony Orchestra, he has recorded Schumann's complete works for piano and orchestra, including the first CD recording of the piano version of Konzerstück, op. 86, for the Arts label. Benedetto Lupo teaches at the Nino Rota Conservatory in Italy, gives master classes around the world, and serves on the jury of both the Cleveland International Competition and the Gina Bachauer Competition in Salt Lake City, having taken the second and third prizes, respectively, in the past. He is featured on the Emmy-award winning documentary Here to Make Music: The Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the seven-part series Encore! The Final Round of Performances of the Eighth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, both for PBS. b i o.. ...r e v i e w s back to roster...up . . . .

. r e v i e w s...........back to roster....up "Lupo has a nice touch for Ravel, a sense of delicacy, a sensitivity to Ravel's subtleties." [All Ravel Concert - Huntsville Symphony Orchestra] – Huntsville Times "The Schumann was a perfect marriage of Romantic composer and masterful interpreter. Lupo made no bones about the flashy nature of the first movement. The astounding cadenza was a fireball under Lupo's control. The interplay of soloist and orchestra in the last movement was handled with flair ..." [Schumann's Piano Concerto - Phoenix Symphony] – Arizona Republic "He [Benedetto Lupo] earned points for valor before he even walked onto the stage, first for wanting to perform the beautiful but seldom-heard Dvorák Piano Concerto in G minor, and second for choosing to play the composer's original 1876 version of the piece, instead of later arrangements designed to ease the logistical challenges of the fingerwork ... Lupo, with his quiet, unassuming stage presence, at first seemed less combustible than some of this season's more glittering guest soloists. But when he had a chance to hit his stride in the concerto's technically demanding cascades and acrobatics, you could see why he's a Van Cliburn medalist. His work in Dvorák's quieter, more lyrical solo passages was beautiful as well, demonstrating he has soul as well as athleticism." [Dvorák's Piano Concerto in G minor - Jacksonville Symphony] – Florida Times-Union b i o.. ...r e v i e w s back to roster...up . . . .