 |
A pianist of “unerring, warm-toned refinement, revealing judicious glimmers of power,” [Los Angeles Times] Robert Edward Thies is an artist renowned for his consummate musicianship and poetic temperament. He first captured worldwide attention in 1995 when he won the Gold Medal at the Second International Prokofiev Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. With this victory, Thies became the only American pianist to win first prize in a Russian piano competition since Van Cliburn’s famed triumph in Moscow in 1958. This victory brought accolades from the White House, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Governor Pete Wilson, and Mayor Richard Riordan. The Los Angeles City Council declared February 16, 1996 "Robert Edward Thies Day," and Robert was featured on the July 1996 cover of Piano and Keyboard magazine. His win was also announced in the International Herald Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times wrote a feature article, "Another American Pianist Invades Russia, Successfully." Praised for his “thoughtful and intensely moving interpretations” Thies enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. He has already performed forty concerti with orchestras all over the world. Mr. Thies is a frequent recitalist in the United States and abroad, and he is known for his "sincere" interpretations of intriguing and delicately balanced programs. A dedicated chamber musician, Thies is highly sought after as a collaborator, and he has shared the stage with many esteemed musicians. He was a founding member of the Thies Piano Quartet and the Pantoum Trio and has appeared with established ensembles such as the Angeles, Calder, and New Hollywood String Quartets. In Los Angeles he appears regularly on the chamber series Jacaranda and the South Bay Chamber Music Society. He is founder and artistic director of The Thies Consort which performs a wide range of works of varying instrumentation and size, thus allowing for innovative and unique programming with musical continuity based on a style, composer, or other concept. Thies has worked and recorded with many of the top studio musicians, and has also worked with film composers James Newton Howard, James Horner, Danny Elfman, Aaron Zigman, and Lalo Schifrin. He has premiered and recorded works written for him, such as Stu Phillip's Variations for Piano and Orchestra, and Kevin Kaska's Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra. In February 2006 Robert released his debut solo recording Live in Recital. He has done multiple recordings for Yamaha Disklavier featuring the music of Prokofiev, Ravel, Brahms, and Beethoven. In June 2006, he recorded a crossover improvisational CD Difference with Croatian flutist, Damjan Krajacic. Thies’s recordings can be found on the Centaur, Albany, and Golden Tone labels. Mr. Thies is also sought after as a master class teacher, chamber music coach, lecturer, and adjudicator across the globe. His teachers have included Robert Turner and Daniel Pollack, both protégés of the legendary Russian pedagogue Madame Rosina Lhevinne, and the great pianist Josef Lhevinne. Mr. Thies is a Steinway artist. For more information, visit Robert Edward Thies at: www.robertthies.org. |
