Anton Nel facts for kids

Anton Nel (born December 29, 1961) is a famous classical pianist from South Africa. He is known for his amazing piano skills.

Anton Nel's Life Story

Early Life and Musical Start

Anton Nel was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents spoke Afrikaans. He started playing the piano at a young age. After only two years of lessons, he performed Beethoven's First Piano Concerto when he was just twelve years old. This was his first big performance!

As a teenager, Anton won many top awards in South African music competitions. He traveled all over his home country, performing for many people. He also became well-known on radio and television.

Education and Teaching Career

Anton Nel studied music at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, graduating in 1982. In 1983, he moved to the United States. He continued his studies at the University of Cincinnati, earning his master's and doctoral degrees.

At only 23 years old, Anton became a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He later taught at the Eastman School of Music and the University of Michigan. At the University of Michigan, he even led the piano department. In 2000, he returned to the University of Texas at Austin. He now leads the keyboard studies division there. In 2010, he received a special honor, becoming the first person to hold the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Endowed Chair in Piano.

Awards and Performances

Anton Nel won first prize in the 1987 Naumburg International Piano Competition. This important competition took place at Carnegie Hall in New York City. He also won several first prizes at the Joanna Hodges International Piano Competition in Palm Desert in 1986.

Anton is especially famous for playing music by Beethoven. He has performed all of Beethoven's piano concertos many times. One memorable performance was in 2003 with the Cape Philharmonic. He has played with many famous orchestras around the world. These include the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the San Francisco Symphony, the Seattle Symphony, the Detroit Symphony, and the London Symphony.

Anton Nel knows over 100 pieces for piano and orchestra. He even performed a newly found piano concerto by Felix Mendelssohn in North America for the first time in 1997.

Recordings

Anton Nel has released several music albums. He has three solo CDs and many recordings with other musicians. Some of his recent albums include "Anton Nel in Recital." He also recorded all of Beethoven's Sonatas and Variations for Piano and Cello. He recorded Brahms Sonatas and Hungarian Dances with cellist Bion Tsang. He also performed Fauré's Ballade and Franck's Symphonic Variations with the Philharmonia Virtuosi.

Personal Life

Anton Nel became a citizen of the United States in 2003.