Richard Raymond, piano

Richard Raymond is a pianist's pianist, a musician's musician, and a music lover's dream. His playing is reminiscent of history's great pianists. Its depth, passion, virtuosity and individuality combine to set him apart from others of his generation.

Richard Raymond has won virtually every award there is to win in Canada. In 1990 he won the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition , as well as the " International Stepping Stone " of the Canadian Music Competition. In 1991 he captured all the top prizes in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's Young Performer's Competition . In 1992 he was finally recognized on the international scene: He became only the second Canadian to win the prestigious Montreal International Competition triumphing over 49 contestants from 18 countries. Soon after, he won the Chamber Music Prize at the Van Cliburn Competition , the first award ever to go to a Canadian artist in this competition. Most recently, Mr. Raymond received major prizes at the prestigious 1998 William Kapell International Piano Competition (United States) and the 1999 Vianna da Motta Competition (Portugal). He is the 1998 recipient of the prestigious Virginia Parker Prize awarded by the Canada Council .

Raymond's performances with the Montreal Symphony , the Toronto Symphony , and essentially every major orchestra in Canada have been met with great excitement. Recitals, festival appearances and chamber music engagements have taken him across Canada, to Italy, France and the United States. Recent debuts at the Lincoln Center in New York, at the Ruhr Klavier-Festival in Germany, In Paris, France, and with the Shangai Symphony Orchestra were all memorable events.

Richard Raymond has produced three compact discs under the Analekta and Musica Viva label, to public and critical acclaim. His second CD, dedicated to the works of Franz Liszt , was nominated Best CD of the year at the 1998 East Coast Music Awards . Mr. Raymond was also nominated Artist of the year at the 1998 OPUS Awards in Montreal.

Raymond studied with Masters like the Great American Pedagogue Leon Fleisher , Marc Durand , John Perry , Lise Boucher and Antoine Reboulot . He took first prize in piano and chamber music at the " Conservatoire de Musique du Quebec " in Montreal, and has a Master's degree from the " Universite de Montreal " and an Artist Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto and the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore.

Like "a young Glenn Gould in love," Richard Raymond is one of those rare artists who employs his virtuosity to express the full spectrum of human emotions. His technical brilliance combined with an intense passion for music-making serves as a conduit through which he reaches the hearts and souls of listeners.