Awadagin Pratt facts for kids

Awadagin Pratt is a very talented American concert pianist. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on March 6, 1966. He is famous for his amazing piano playing and his unique style on stage.

Awadagin Pratt's Early Life and Music Journey

Awadagin Pratt playing the piano at the White House in November 2009.

Awadagin Pratt started learning piano when he was six years old. Later, after his family moved to Normal, Illinois, he began violin lessons at age nine. He was so good that he received a scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when he was just 16!

He then moved to the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Maryland. This was a big step because he became the first student there to earn diplomas in three different areas: piano, violin, and conducting. That means he was skilled at playing two instruments and leading an orchestra!

Becoming a Famous Pianist

In 1992, Awadagin Pratt made history. He became the first African-American pianist to win the Naumburg International Piano Competition. This competition is a very important award for musicians. Winning it helped him become well-known.

After winning, he started performing a lot. He played with almost every major orchestra in the United States. He even performed at the White House for Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama. You might have also seen him on the children's TV show Sesame Street!

His busy schedule included 40 to 50 concerts in the year he won the Naumburg prize, and 70 concerts the next year. He also signed with a big artist management company called IMG Artists in New York City. In 1994, he made his debut at Lincoln Center with the famous New York Philharmonic orchestra.

Teaching and Continuing to Perform

In 2004, Awadagin Pratt started teaching piano at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He became a Professor of Piano there. He joined the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in July 2023, where he continues to share his knowledge with new musicians.

Even with his teaching, he still performs about 30 times a year across the United States and in other countries. People often praise his performances, describing them as having a "rich" and "masterful" quality. Besides playing the piano, Awadagin Pratt is also a skilled conductor, leading orchestras in the U.S. and Japan.

Awadagin Pratt's Unique Style

People often notice Awadagin Pratt's unique style, not just in his music but also in his appearance. For example, he might wear a colorful shirt and socks with fun designs, like a portrait of Vincent van Gogh. This shows his creative and playful side!

He enjoys playing music by many different composers. Some of his favorites include Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Edvard Grieg, Modest Mussorgsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff.

Awadagin Pratt's Music Recordings

Awadagin Pratt has released several music albums on CD. Here are some of them:

• A Long Way From Normal (1994): This was his first album. It included music by composers like Liszt, Franck, Brahms, and Bach. The title is a fun reference to his childhood home of Normal, Illinois.
• Beethoven Piano Sonatas (1995): This album featured several piano pieces by the famous composer Beethoven.
• Live From South Africa (1997): This album was recorded in Cape Town. It included works by Bach, Brahms, Franck, and Rachmaninoff.
• Transformations (1999): This album featured Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, which is a very famous piano piece. It also included his own version of Bach's Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582 and Brahms's Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. He played these on a special Bösendorfer Imperial Grand piano.
• Play Bach (2002): This album focused on music by Bach, including some of his famous concertos.
• Stillpoint (2023): This album features new music written just for piano, strings, and vocals.