Alan Kogosowski facts for kids

Alan Kogosowski (born 22 December 1952) is an Australian classical pianist. A classical pianist plays music written by famous composers like Frédéric Chopin or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

About Alan Kogosowski

Alan Kogosowski was born in Melbourne, Australia. He started playing the piano when he was only six years old. He practiced for many hours every day.

When he was 13, Alan won a TV talent show called "BP Showcase". He even performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in New York City. This was a very famous TV show at the time.

Alan studied music at the University of Melbourne and in Paris, France. He received a special award called a Churchill Fellowship. This award helped him study at the famous École Normale de Musique. He also studied in London and Warsaw. His first big concerts in New York and London were a huge success!

Overcoming Challenges

When Alan was 21, he had a car accident. He broke bones in his right hand. Doctors worried he might not be able to play the piano again. But a skilled surgeon saved his hand.

After only a few months, Alan returned to the stage. He played a special piano piece by Maurice Ravel that uses only the left hand. This showed his amazing determination. After about 18 months, he could use his right hand fully again.

Alan has also helped people with carpal tunnel syndrome. This is a hand injury that can affect people who use computers or play instruments a lot. He used his knowledge of piano playing to help prevent and fix this problem. He even designed a special computer keyboard and mouse. He also wrote a book called How to Prevent RSI: a pianist's perspective for everyone. RSI stands for Repetitive Strain Injury.

Alan's Love for Chopin

Alan Kogosowski has a very special connection to the famous composer Frédéric Chopin.

• He recreated Chopin's last public concert from 1848 in London.
• He wrote a book called Genius of the Piano. This book is about Chopin's life and how he avoided hand injuries. It also talks about how to play Chopin's challenging Études.
• Alan made a 6-part TV series about Chopin's life and music. In the series, he plays Chopin's music and explains it. This show was first shown in New York in 2003.
• He played the piano for the first Australian recording of Chopin's 19 Polish Songs. These songs were sung in their original language.
• Even Pope John Paul II praised Alan's playing of Chopin's music.
• Alan performed in a play about Chopin and the writer George Sand.
• He created his own version of a Chopin piano concerto. He called it "Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 3 in A major". He performed it for the first time in 1999 with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He used some of Chopin's unfinished ideas to create this new piece.

Other Musical Work

For ten years, Alan hosted musical evenings in London called "Schubertiades at Sotheby's". Famous musicians from all over the world performed there. Members of the British royal family, like Diana, Princess of Wales and the Queen Mother, often attended. Alan became friends with Princess Diana and played for them many times.

In 2001, he became an advisor for the Palm Beach Symphony in Florida. He has also conducted this orchestra several times.

Alan also took a piece by another composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and turned it into a piano concerto. He called it Concerto Élégiaque in D minor. This piece was recorded and won an award for "Best Recording of the Year" in 1994.

Honours

In 1999, Alan Kogosowski received a special award from the Polish branch of the Knights of Malta. This was to thank him for his many concerts in London. These concerts helped raise money to send medicines to Poland.