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 Graham Scott, Pianist,
Educator and
Performer, Chicago, IL, USA
Graham Scott has firmly
established himself as one of Britain’s leading pianists. He has been
the recipient of numerous first prizes in national and international
competitions notably the 1991 Young Concert Artists International
Auditions in New York, the 1991 Jaén International Piano Competition in
Spain, the 1989 Young Concert Artists Trust Auditions in London and the
1988 Dudley National Piano Competition. In 1999 he was awarded a career
grant from the Yvonne Léfébure foundation in Paris for the purchase of a
Steinway grand piano.
He studied under the distinguished Polish pianist Ryszard
Bakst (a student of Heinrich Neuhaus) at Chetham’s School of Music and
at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, being awarded the
Dayas Gold Medal in 1991, an award made quadrennially to a graduating
pianist. In 1990 he won the Stefania Niekrasz Prize, an
inter-collegiate award made every five years to an outstanding exponent
of Chopin.
In October 1989, Graham Scott made his formal début at
the Wigmore Hall and has since become known to London audiences, having
re-appeared at the hall on numerous occasions as both recitalist and
chamber musician. He has established himself as a versatile pianist
appearing regularly in major venues such as the Royal Festival Hall,
Queen Elizabeth Hall and Barbican Centre in London, Symphony Hall in
Birmingham, Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Philharmonic Hall in
Liverpool, Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Waterfront Hall in Belfast and
Queen’s Hall and Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.
He made his débuts in New York at the 92nd St.
Y and in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center under the auspices of Young
Concert Artists in 1992 to critical acclaim. He has gone on to perform
recitals and concertos and to lead artist-in-residence activities
throughout the United States. Venues include the Ambassador Auditorium
in Los Angeles, Princeton University, Washington State University, the
Kravis Center, Western Michigan University, Madison Civic Center,
Clemson University, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, Potsdam
College at SUNY, Xavier University Piano Series, South West Missouri
State University, University of Athens, the Phillips Collection, UC
Davis and the Riverside County Philharmonic among others. Graham Scott
gave his first performances in Japan through YCA playing in Suntory
Hall, Tokyo and in Nagoya and Osaka.
Graham Scott received critical acclaim when he replaced
Martha Argerich at short notice with the Staatsphilharmonie
Rheinlandpfalz in Germany playing Haydn’s D major concerto and Richard
Strauss’ Burleske. He was invited back the following season to play
Liszt’s second concerto in a tour of the Rhine region of Germany.
As a soloist, Graham Scott has performed with many of the
world’s leading orchestras, notably the London Philharmonic, Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic, St Louis Symphony Orchestra, New York Chamber
Symphony, Royal Scottish National, Belgium National Symphony, Monte
Carlo Philharmonic, Ulster, Singapore Symphony, Radio Netherlands
Chamber, Pusan Philharmonic in Korea, Santa Barbara Chamber, South
African National Symphony and Cape Town Symphony Orchestras. He has
worked with such conductors as Marin Alsop, Carl St. Clare, Thomas
Conlin, Paul Daniel, Sir Charles Groves, Bernhard Klee, Alexander
Lazarev, Gregorz Nowak, Heiichiro Ohyama and Barry Wordsworth.
As a chamber musician, Graham Scott has performed at the
Huntington Chamber Music Festival in Australia with members of the
Australian Chamber Orchestra. He has also collaborated with the
Vertavo String Quartet, Stamic Quartet of Prague, Galliard Wind Quintet,
violinists Marat Bisengaliev and Rachel Isserlis, flautist Jean
Ferrandis, cellist Henri Demarquette and oboist Owen Dennis and members
of the BBC Philharmonic.
Graham Scott has appeared at numerous festivals worldwide
including the Chopin Festival in Paris at Bagatelle, the Flanders
Festival in Belgium, the Rutgers Summerfest in New York, and festivals
in the UK in Bury St Edmonds, Brighton and Chester. He has given other
recitals in all five continents.
He has given numerous broadcasts on BBC Radio 3, the BBC
World Service and Classic FM in England and has appeared on networks in
Australia (ABC), South Africa (SABC), Holland (AVRO TV), France (France
3) and Belgium. In the USA Graham Scott has appeared on National Public
Radio including the Performance Today programme and on other
regional networks. Commercially, he has released a Scriabin CD on Gamut
Classics, Live in Los Angeles on the Master Musicians label and a
Gershwin CD on the Deux-Elles label in 2003.
Graham Scott
is Associate Professor of Piano and Chair of the Piano Department at the
Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. He has
previously held the position of visiting lecturer in keyboard studies at
the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. He has given
masterclasses, adjudications, and taken part in other
artist-in-residence activities at major conservatories and universities
worldwide including the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Guildhall School
of Music and Drama in London, Royal Northern College of Music in
Manchester, Estonian Academy of Music in Tallinn, Lithuanian Academy of
Music in Vilnius, University of Chicago and the University of Melbourne.
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Ed. Note: I interviewed Mr. Scott again in February of
2005. The 2005 interview of Mr. Scott embodies
different questions and topics. I commend it to you as well.
 PEP: What made you go into music?
There was no conscious decision! Music chose me; I didn't choose it. I
started with the trumpet at 5 because of a breathing problem I had when young, then the
violin at 8 (which I couldn't play in tune!) And then the piano at 13.
PEP: Who was the most influential person in your years as a student of the
piano and why?
My Polish piano teacher, Ryszard Bakst. A very demanding chap. He seemed
to know how to make me work hard; the prospect of turning up at a lesson under-prepared
was petrifying. I think he had great musical taste and a very good concept of sound.
PEP: What do you enjoy most about making music?
No single thing, but many things. The challenge to play better each
time. Finding new repertoire. The emotional content....the list is endless.
PEP: Is there a"best" way or "method" to learn to play?
Any that should be avoided?
No! Most certainly not! We are all different and have our individual
ways - even just from a purely technical standpoint. What might be a good approach for one
might be impractical for another. That is not to say you can just do your own thing; bad
habits can arise out of this.
PEP: What "deficiency" in training or technique do you most often
find in students of the piano?
Many, depending on the level of the student. Not spending enough time to
establish a secure fingering is quite common.
PEP: What would you advise students and teachers of the piano to avoid?
Make good repertoire choices. Don't pick things that are way too hard.
PEP: What advice would you give to students of the piano?
Practice slowly. Once you have chosen a piece to play, practice what you
find difficult within the piece rather than what you find easy.
PEP: How do you motivate yourself to do the long hours of practice
necessary to be a successful performer?
The first ten minutes of practice is never much fun, but afterwards I
can go for hours. Performing the piece in public is always sufficient motivation.
PEP: Can you give us your reflections upon music as a career? Specifically,
what do you like most about performing and what do you dislike most?
Hard work as a career but completely without monotony. As a soloist, a
bit of a lonely life, although playing chamber music with other musicians is much fun. I
think I like the challenge of improving from one concert to the next and looking at
interpretation with a fresh outlook. The things I dislike the most are practical things
like time wasted at the airport, not being able to find a piano to practice on when I want
one, differing quality of instrument that you perform on, poor acoustics ....
PEP: What does it take to be a "successful" musician or music
educator?
Total absorption in music!
PEP: What are your views on competitions and what should teachers and
students expect from that experience?
An excellent incentive to practice. Something concrete to prepare for.
Don't take the result too seriously as opinions differ widely. Music is not so black and
white - it is an art, not a sport. Don't become complacent if you win. Enjoy the benefits
of winning.
PEP: How do you deal with pre-performance "jitters" and what is
your pre-concert routine?
Just a couple of minutes of silence thinking about the first few minutes
of the piece is all it normally takes. (I hate listening to the overture on the PA in the
dressing room!)
PEP: What was your most memorable performing experience and why?
Many! Probably London debut at Wigmore Hall at 21. Remember being
extremely frightened by the whole event. Didn't really enjoy it that much. Have since
played in the hall seven times and always enjoy playing there.
PEP: When you teach a master class, what do you hope to accomplish and what
general messages, if any, do you offer to all those in attendance?
I think it is better to get just a few key points over than to cram the
student with too much. Every circumstance is so unique that it is hard to say what these
points might be.
PEP: Do you have a favorite pianist(s) and, if so, what attracts you to
that person's performances?
I mainly listen to orchestral music and not much piano music. I have
many pianists who I like in different repertoire: Gilels, Perahia, Zimmerman, Lupu and
"old school" - Schnabel, Cortot ...
PEP: What can we do as musicians to interest more people, children in
particular, in good music?
Present it in an accessible manner.
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