Arthur Ozolins

Ozolins, Arthur

Arthur Ozolins, pianist (b at Lubeck, Germany 7 Feb 1946). He began piano studies in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At age 13, he entered the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, studying with Talivaldis Kenins and Alberto Guerrero. He also studied with Nadia Boulanger, Vlado Perlemuter and Nadia Reisenberg. In 1961, Ozolins made his debut with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra under conductor Walter Susskind. He won first prize at the CBC Talent Festival in 1968.

Ozolins has appeared throughout North and South America, Europe and Australia, at Carnegie, Avery Fisher and Alice Tully Halls, New York; Queen Elizabeth Hall, London; Sydney Opera House; Sala Verdi, Milan; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires; Theatre des Champs-Elysees, Paris; Schauspielhaus, Berlin; and Shostakovich Hall, St. Petersburg. He toured the former Soviet Union seven times. He has performed with the Royal Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool and Halle Orchestras; the St. Petersburg, Stockholm and Oslo Philharmonics and the orchestras of Montpellier, Barcelona and Buenos Aires. He made his American orchestral debut with the St. Louis Symphony, replacing an ailing Leon Fleisher. In Canada, Ozolins has appeared more than 50 times with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and is a frequent soloist with the Montreal and Vancouver Symphonies.

Recipient of the first Juno Award in classical music, Ozolins has recorded the complete concerti of Rachmaninoff and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Mario Bernardi and the Toronto Symphony for CBC Records. Born to Latvian parents, Ozolins has been a champion of Latvian piano music and has recorded works by Latvian composer Janis Medins and Talivaldis Kenins.

In November 2000, Ozolins performed the complete Rachmaninoff concerti and Paganini Rhapsody on two successive evenings at Hamilton Place with Boris Brott and the National Academy Orchestra. In February 2001 Ozolins marked the 40th anniversary of his debut by performing in recital with Music Toronto.