{{short description|Italian pianist (born 1977)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=March 2018}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Alessio Bax | image = | alt = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|30 November 1977}} | birth_place = [[Bari]], Italy | death_date = | death_place = | origin = | instrument = [[piano]] | genre = [[classical music]] | occupation = [[pianist]] | years_active = 1997–present | label = | associated_acts = | website = {{URL|http://www.alessiobax.com/|Alessio Bax}} }}
'''Alessio Bax''' (born 30 November 1977<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/alessio-bax-mn0002215612|title=Alessio Bax Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More...|website=AllMusic|access-date=30 November 2024}}</ref> in [[Bari]], Italy) is an Italian classical pianist. He graduated from the Bari conservatory at the record age of 14.<ref name="TH000925">{{cite news|last=Ward|first=David|title=Brahms and bravos Italian wins Leeds piano prize|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 September 2000|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/sep/25/davidward|access-date=1 October 2009 | location=London}}</ref><ref name="BB080805">{{cite news|title=Husband and wife piano duo at the center|work=[[Bennington Banner]]|date=5 August 2008|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/BBRB/lib00698,12265CB500FC9040.html|access-date=1 October 2009 }}</ref> He won the [[Hamamatsu International Piano Competition]] in Japan at age 19 and the [[Leeds International Pianoforte Competition]] in 2000 after first participating in 1993. Bax was a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two for three seasons, beginning in 2009.<ref name="Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center">{{Cite web|url=https://www.chambermusicsociety.org/about/artists/piano/alessio-bax/|title=Alessio Bax | The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.|website=Chambermusicsociety.org}}</ref> He also received the [[Avery Fisher Career Grant]] in 2009.<ref name="TH000925" /><ref name="BB080805" /><ref name="TDMN090426" /> He studied at [[Southern Methodist University]] in [[Dallas]], [[Texas]] with Basque pianist Joaquín Achúcarro.<ref name="TDMN090426">{{cite news|last=Cantrell|first=Scott|title=Alessio Bax wins $25,000 grant|work=[[The Dallas Morning News]]|date=26 April 2009|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/g/GooglePM/DM/lib00375,127D8792318E2C28.html|access-date=1 October 2009}}</ref> Bax is a Steinway Artist.<ref name="Chamber Music Society at Lincoln Center" /> He also serves since 2019 on the faculty of the [[New England Conservatory of Music]] as a professor of piano.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alessio Bax|url=https://necmusic.edu/faculty/alessio-bax|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Necmusic.edu|language=en}}</ref>
==Career highlights== Bax has appeared as the soloist with the [[New York Philharmonic]], [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], [[Cleveland Orchestra]], [[Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]], [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]], [[City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra]], Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Saint Louis Symphony, [[Dallas Symphony]], [[Houston Symphony]], [[Seattle Symphony]], Helsinki Philharmonic, Orchestre National de Lille, Hungarian Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and St. Petersburg Philharmonic.<ref name="Warner Classics">{{cite web|title=Warner Classics |url=http://www.warnerclassics.com/artist,AlessioBax_7691.htm |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121104130113/http://www.warnerclassics.com/artist%2CAlessioBax_7691.htm |archivedate=4 November 2012 }}</ref> Bax has collaborated with conductors such as [[Marin Alsop]], Vladimir Ashkenazy, Sir Andrew Davis, Hannu Lintu, Ruth Reinhardt, Daniele Rustioni, Yuri Temirkanov, Jaap van Zweden and [[Sir Simon Rattle]]. As a chamber music performer, Bax has performed with musicians such as [[Emmanuel Pahud]], [[Lisa Batiashvili]], [[Joshua Bell]], [[Vilde Frang]], [[Daishin Kashimoto]], [[Lawrence Power]], [[Jean-Guihen Queyras]], [[Paul Watkins (musician)|Paul Watkins]], [[Ian Bostridge]], [[Mark Padmore]], and the [[Emerson String Quartet]].<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=Alessio Bax, pianist - official home page|url=https://www.alessiobax.com/|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Alessiobax.com}}</ref>
Bax has given recitals at major venues in Rome, Milan, Madrid, Paris, London, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, New York, Washington, Mexico City.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Bax-Alessio.htm|title = Alessio Bax (Piano) - Short Biography|website =Bach-cantatas.com|access-date = 12 April 2016}}</ref> Bax made his New York recital debut at the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]] in 2010. Alessio Bax played the Fugue of Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" Sonata for Daniel Barenboim in the documentary ''Barenboim on Beethoven'' in 2005, published on EMI.<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.classicstoday.com/review/fine-beethoven-alessio-bax/|title = Fine Beethoven from Alessio Bax - Classics Today|website =Classicstoday.com|access-date = 12 April 2016}}</ref>
A track from his release "Bach Transcribed" on Signum Classics was used to great acclaim in the 2017 film "[[Call Me by Your Name (film)|Call Me by Your Name]]"<ref>{{Cite web|title=What's the classical music featured in 'Call Me By Your Name'?|url=https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/periods-genres/film-tv/call-me-by-your-name-classical-music/|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Classicfm.com|language=en}}</ref> by director [[Luca Guadagnino]]
In addition to his solo career, Bax also performs with his wife, pianist [http://www.lucillechung.com Lucille Chung]. They have shared stages at venues around the world and recorded successful albums together. Chung described playing duo with Bax: "It just needs to be at the right time, then we love to say yes, since we are a great team. There is total trust and…we think so much alike, we don't even have to talk while rehearsing. We just know after a halt, where to come in again and how to communicate what we would like to happen. We think as a unit and that is advantageous for improving one's security level within the repertoire. We feel free to take risks during performance and still are aware of the safety net, the complete support at the same time".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://www.sequenza21.com/2011/04/pianists-lucille-chung-and-alessio-bax-sharing-their-lives-at-the-piano/|title = Sequenza21/ » Pianists Lucille Chung and Alessio Bax: Sharing their lives at the piano|website =Sequenza21.com|date = 30 April 2011|access-date = 12 April 2016}}</ref>
Bax has been the artistic director of the Incontri in Terra di Siena Festival in Tuscany for ten years, the founder and current artistic director of the [https://www.sinfoniasmithsq.org.uk/festival/london-festival-of-chamber-music-2026/ London Festival of Chamber Music] at Smith Square Hall in London,<ref>{{Cite web|title=WHO WE ARE – INCONTRI IN TERRA DI SIENA|url=https://www.itslafoce.org/en/who-we-are/|website=Itslafoce.org|access-date=2020-12-08|language=en-GB}}</ref> and co-artistic director with Lucille Chung of the [[Joaquín Achúcarro]] Foundation in Dallas.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://joaquinachucarro.wordpress.com/2009/10/11/about-the-foundation-2/|title = The Joaquín Achúcarro Foundation|website=Joaquinachucarro.wordpress.com|date = 11 October 2009|access-date = 12 April 2016}}</ref>
==Awards== In 2013 Bax received the Martin E. Segal Award from Lincoln Center, and the Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. In 2009, Bax received the Avery Fisher Career Grant,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://about.lincolncenter.org/programs/program-avery-fisher-artist-program/the-avery-fisher-career-grants|title=The Avery Fisher Career Grants|website=about.lincolncenter.org|access-date=12 April 2016}}</ref> and was the first prize winner of the 2000 [[Leeds International Pianoforte Competition]]. Bax also won the 1997 [[Hamamatsu International Piano Competition]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.barrettartists.com/artist.php?id=abax&aview=bio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420214926/http://www.barrettartists.com/artist.php?id=abax&aview=bio|url-status=usurped|archive-date=20 April 2016|title=Biography|website=Barrett Artists|access-date=12 April 2016}}</ref>
== Personal life == Alessio Bax lives in New York City with his wife, Lucille Chung and their daughter Mila, to whom the album "Lullabies for Mila" was dedicated. In 2016, when Mila was not yet two, they were all featured together in a much loved episode of NPR's [[Tiny Desk Concerts]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Alessio Bax: Tiny Desk Concert|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/06/16/482301464/alessio-bax-tiny-desk-concert|access-date=2020-12-08|newspaper=NPR|date=17 June 2016|language=en|last1=Huizenga|first1=Tom}}</ref> In addition to being a pianist, Bax also loves cooking, hosting "epic" multi-course dinner parties, as chronicled by a 2013 New York Times article.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gordinier|first=Jeff|date=2013-01-29|title=At a Performance, Dreaming of Dinner|url=https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/at-a-performance-dreaming-of-dinner/|access-date=2020-12-08|website=Diner’s Journal Blog|language=en-US}}</ref>
== Discography == On Signum Classics:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.signumrecords.com/ |title=Home |website=Signumrecords.com}}</ref> *Forgotten Dances (Bach, Bartok, Falla, Albéniz/Godowsky, Liszt, Ravel/Bax, Brahms/Cziffra) *Debussy & Ravel for Two (Debussy and Ravel, with Lucille Chung) *Italian Inspirations (Bach/Marcello, Rachmaninoff, Dallapiccola, Liszt) *Beethoven's Emperor Concerto and rare solo works *Poulenc (with Lucille Chung) *Lullabies for Mila *Scriabin/Mussorgsky *Alessio Bax plays Beethoven: Hammerklavier and Moonlight Sonatas, and transcriptions from the Ruins of Athens by A. Bax *Bax & Chung: Piano Four Hands (Brahms/Stravinsky/Piazzolla arr. Bax/Chung) *Alessio Bax plays Mozart: Piano Concertos K. 491 & K. 595 and solo variations *Alessio Bax plays Brahms *Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies *Bach Transcribed
On other labels: *Baroque Reflections (Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” - Warner Classics, 2004) *Ligeti’s complete four-hand and two-piano works (Dynamic Records, 2003) *Carnival of the Animals with the Fort Worth Symphony (2005) *Marcel Dupré Complete works for Organ and Piano duo (Naxos, 1996)<ref name="auto"/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web|url=http://www.alessiobax.com/|title=Alessio Bax|publisher=Official website}} *{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=q103081|label=Alessio Bax}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bax, Alessio}} [[Category:1977 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Italian male classical pianists]] [[Category:Italian male pianists]] [[Category:Musicians from Bari]] [[Category:Prize-winners of the Leeds International Pianoforte Competition]] [[Category:Southern Methodist University alumni]] [[Category:Southern Methodist University faculty]] [[Category:21st-century Italian classical pianists]] [[Category:21st-century male pianists]] [[Category:21st-century Italian male musicians]] [[Category:21st-century Italian musicians]]