Louis Lortie facts for kids
Louis Lortie OC CQ is a famous Canadian pianist. He was born on April 27, 1959. He is known for his amazing piano playing around the world.
Early Life and Learning
Louis Lortie was born in Montreal, Canada. He started playing piano at a very young age. He played with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra when he was just thirteen years old. Three years later, he performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Soon after, he traveled to play concerts in China and Japan.
Louis Lortie learned from several great piano teachers. Some of his main teachers included Yvonne Hubert and Marc Durand in Québec, Dieter Weber in Austria, and Menahem Pressler and Leon Fleisher in the United States.
A Busy Career
Throughout his career, Louis Lortie has worked with many top conductors. These are the leaders who guide an orchestra. Some of them include Thomas Adès, Charles Dutoit, and Yannick Nézet Séguin.
He has also played as a solo performer with many famous orchestras. These include the BBC Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, and the Chicago Symphony. He has performed in major concert halls like Queen Elizabeth Hall in London.
Louis Lortie is also a "Master in Residence" at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium. This means he teaches and performs there. He also helped start and leads the LacMus International Festival, which is a music festival held on Lake Como.
Recorded Music
Louis Lortie has made many recordings of his piano performances. Here are a few of them:
- Camille Saint-Saëns, Complete piano concertos n°1, n°2, n°3, n°4, n¨5, Allegro appassionato Op.70 & Rapsodie d'Auvergne Op.73, with the BBC Philharmonic and conductor Edward Gardner.
- Frédéric Chopin, "The Complete Études, Op. 10, Op. 25, Trois Nouvelles Études."
Special Awards
Louis Lortie has won many important awards for his music.
- In 1984, he won First Prize in the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition. This is a very important piano contest.
- In the same year, he also won fourth place at the Leeds Competition.
- He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. This is one of the highest honors a Canadian citizen can receive.
- He was also made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec, which is a similar high honor from his home province.
- He received an honorary doctorate from Université Laval. This is a special degree given by a university to honor someone's achievements.
