Misha Dichter facts for kids

Misha Dichter is a famous American pianist, born on September 27, 1945. He is known for his amazing piano performances around the world.

Misha Dichter's Early Life and Training

Misha Dichter was born in Shanghai. His parents were Polish-Jewish and had to leave their home during World War II. When Misha was two years old, his family moved to Los Angeles, California. He started learning to play the piano at age five.

He had a special piano teacher named Aube Tzerko. This teacher helped Misha practice a lot and understand music deeply. Misha also learned about composing music from Leonard Stein. Later, he went to the Juilliard School in New York. There, he studied with another great piano teacher, Rosina Lhévinne.

Becoming a Star Pianist

While at Juilliard, Misha Dichter won a silver medal. This was at the 1966 International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. This competition is a very big deal for musicians. Winning helped him start his career as a pianist all over the world.

Soon after, he played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1. He performed with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This concert was shown live on TV across the country. In 1968, he played the same concerto with Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. After that, he performed with many other famous orchestras. These included the Berlin Philharmonic and major orchestras in London and America.

Misha Dichter has also written articles for important newspapers like the New York Times. He has appeared on TV many times. There was even a TV show about him in Europe. He was also in a movie called My Dog: An Unconventional Love Story with his dog, Thunder.

Misha Dichter has had several hand surgeries. This was due to a condition that affected his hands. The surgeries helped him keep playing the piano.

Misha Dichter's Music Recordings

Misha Dichter has made many recordings. These recordings show how much he loves different kinds of music. He has recorded for companies like Philips and RCA.

His recordings include piano concertos by Brahms. He played these with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He also recorded solo piano pieces by Brahms. Other recordings feature Beethoven's piano sonatas. He also recorded all of Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies. He played Liszt's piano concertos with the Pittsburgh Symphony.

Misha Dichter also recorded Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. He played this with the Philharmonia Orchestra. His recordings also include music by Chopin, Mussorgsky, Schubert, Schumann, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky.

Many of his recordings have been released again. For example, his recordings of Beethoven's "Pathetique" and "Moonlight" Sonatas are available. His recording of Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsodies has also been reissued.

Awards and Honors for Misha Dichter

Misha Dichter has received special awards for his music. In 1998, he won the "Grand Prix International Du Disque Liszt." This was a big award for his recordings of Liszt's piano music.

On April 13, 1999, he was honored by Delta Omicron. This is a professional music group. He became a National Patron of the group.

Misha and Cipa Dichter: A Piano Duo

While at Juilliard, Misha Dichter met Cipa Glazman. She later became his wife. Cipa was born in Brazil. Her parents were from Poland and Russia. She started piano lessons at age six. At 16, she played with the Symphony Orchestra of Brazil. After that, she came to the United States to study at Juilliard.

Together, Misha and Cipa Dichter are a very talented piano duo. They perform together all over North America and Europe. They also play at summer music festivals in the U.S. These include Ravinia and the Aspen Music Festival. The Dichters have performed many pieces for two pianos or four hands. They recorded all of Mozart's piano music for four hands. This was released as a 3-CD set.

The Dichters live in New York City.

See also

In Spanish: Misha Dichter para niños