Petronel Malan facts for kids

Petronel Malan is a talented concert pianist from South Africa. She was born in Pretoria and now lives in the United States.

Petronel Malan has been nominated for three Grammy awards, which are very important music prizes. She records music for a well-known company called Hänssler Classic. Her first album, "Transfigured Bach," was nominated for three Grammy awards, including "Best Instrumental Solo Album." This album was very popular and stayed on the Classic FM Top-10 list for many weeks. She has also released other albums like "Transfigured Mozart" (in 2006), "Transfigured Beethoven" (in 2008), "Transfigured Tchaikovsky" (in 2012), and "Transfigured Brahms" (in 2015). For her recordings, she uses special pianos made by Blüthner.

Early Life and Music Journey

Petronel Malan was born in South Africa. Her family has roots from French Huguenots who came to South Africa in 1688. She started playing the piano at just four years old. Her mother, who was an opera singer, taught her.

She was seen as a "prodigy" by her teacher, Adolph Hallis. A prodigy is someone who is super talented at a young age. Petronel played with the Johannesburg Symphony when she was only ten. She won her first national gold medal at age twelve. At fourteen, she won an international gold medal at a piano competition in Marsala, Sicily. Petronel won every competition she could in South Africa. She became the youngest person ever to win the SABC Music Prize Competition. After these successes, she moved to the United States to continue her music career.

Her Amazing Career

Petronel Malan continued her piano studies with famous teachers like Joseph Stanford, Steven De Groote, Ralph Votapek, and Earl Wild. She earned her Master's and Doctor's degrees in music from the University of North Texas College of Music. She studied with Joseph Banowetz there.

Since her first performance in Rome in 1988, Petronel has played in many concerts. She performs as a solo artist, with orchestras, and in chamber music groups. She has played on four different continents! Some of the famous places she has performed include Carnegie Recital Hall in New York, Salle Cortot and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. She has also played at big music festivals like the Gilmore Piano Festival and the Ravinia Festival.

Petronel works with many different conductors, like Vasily Petrenko and Karina Canellakis. Her performances have been shown on TV and radio in Europe, Canada, and the US. She also has documentaries about her in South Africa.

She travels a lot to perform all over the world. She also helps new musicians by judging piano competitions. She teaches master classes and gives talks to students in the United States and South Africa.

Awards and Recognitions

Petronel Malan has won many awards for her incredible talent:

• In 2000, she won four gold medals at different competitions. These included the Louise McMahon International Music Competition and the Hilton Head International Piano Competition.
• She also won the grand prize in the Web Concert Hall Competition in 2000.
• In 2003, she was named one of the "10 Most Inspirational Women Achievers" in South Africa.
• In 2006, she received the Kanna Award for her sold-out shows at the KKNK Oudtshoorn. These awards are sometimes called the "Karoo Oscars."
• The University of North Texas gave her the Young Alumni Award in 2012.
• In 2013, she won The American Prize for her album "Transfigured Tchaikovsky."
• She received the KykNet Fiesta Award in 2014 for her best live classical music performance at a national arts festival.

Blüthner Pianos

Ms. Malan is a Blüthner Concert Artist. This means she uses Blüthner pianos only for her recordings. She even owns several of these special pianos, including a large concert-sized one.

More About Petronel

Petronel Malan is a very important person in the music world of South Africa. Scholarships are even given in her name to help young musicians. She has been on magazine covers and has appeared as a clue in crossword puzzles! She often performs at charity events when she is in South Africa.

She loves vintage gowns, and her stage clothes are designed by top South African designers. Petronel also cares about classical music in schools. She makes time in her busy touring schedule to visit schools and talk to students about classical music.

Her sister, Annie Malan, is a famous actress and businesswoman.

Petronel Malan lives in the United States.

See also

• List of classical pianists
• Blüthner