Dimitris Sgouros

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Dimitris Sgouros | image = | alt = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = | alias = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|8|30|df=yes}} | birth_place = Athens, Greece | death_date = | origin = | instrument = Piano | genre = Classical music | occupation = Musician | years_active = 1977–present | label = | website = [http://www.sgouros-pianist.com/ www.sgouros-pianist.com] }}

'''Dimitris Sgouros''' ({{langx|el|Δημήτρης Σγούρος}}; born 30 August 1969){{ref_label|A|a|none}} is a Greek classical pianist.<ref name="SgourosBiography2008">[http://www.sgouros-pianist.com/biography.htm Classical Pianist Dimitris Sgouros: Biography] (''c.'' 2008). Retrieved 21 May 2010.</ref> Sgouros is a former child prodigy and is considered a leading concert pianist.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tommasini|first=Anthony|date=2000-04-18|title=MUSIC REVIEW; A Onetime Piano Prodigy Returns at 31 to Carnegie Hall (Published 2000)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/18/arts/music-review-a-onetime-piano-prodigy-returns-at-31-to-carnegie-hall.html|access-date=2020-12-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=McLellan|first=Joseph|title=Dimitris Sgouros' Promising Piano|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1982/07/19/dimitris-sgouros-promising-piano/74953bec-ea96-49e6-af87-7db92ad750b4/|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> [[Arthur Rubinstein]] said his performance was "the best playing I have ever heard".<ref name="Crankshaw1983">Crankshaw, G. (1983): [http://www.sgourosmp3.com/debutrecords.html Angel Debut Recording: Dimitris Sgouros – Brahms/Schumann] (notes from record jacket). Retrieved 21 May 2010.</ref>

==Biography== Dimitris Sgouros is an [[Aromanians|Aromanian]],<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=alJoAAAAMAAJ|title=Οι Ελληνοβλάχοι (Αρμανοί)|first=Giorgis|last=Exarchos|publisher=Ekdoseis Kastaniote|volume=1|page=491|year=2001|language=el|isbn=9789600327847}}</ref> who said "I am Vlach with a capital V", [[Vlach]] being the common name for the Aromanians in Greece.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.tovima.gr/2008/11/24/books-ideas/eimaste-oloi-blaxoi-2/|title="Είμαστε όλοι Βλάχοι"|first=Stathis|last=Efstathiadis|newspaper=[[To Vima]]|date=24 November 2008|language=el}}</ref> Sgouros is the son of Sotirios and Marianthi Sgouros.<ref name="WWW2010">[http://www.worldwhoswho.com/public/views/entry.html?id=sgo-0651 World Who's Who: Dimitris Sgouros] (2010). Retrieved 22 May 2010.</ref> There was no notable record of musical talent in his family.<ref name="Crankshaw1983"/> He began playing the piano when he was six-years old<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dimitris Sgouros: Portrait of a Genius|url=https://www.sgourosmp3.com/portrait.html|access-date=2020-12-07|website=sgourosmp3.com}}</ref> and gave his first public performance a year later.<ref name="Crankshaw1983" /> At the age of eight, he entered the [[Athens Conservatoire]], studying under Maria Herogiorgiou-Sigara.<ref name="SgourosBiography2008"/><ref name="Crankshaw1983"/> Sgouros won several competitions between 1978 and 1983, including the [[UNICEF]] competition in Bulgaria (1979), a competition in [[Ancona]], Italy (1980), and two competitions in his home city of Athens.<ref name="Crankshaw1983"/> He was also the recipient of the 1982 Leonardo da Vinci International Award.<ref name="WWW2010"/><ref name="RotaryClub2009">[http://www.rotary-wuerzburg.de/Leonardo%20Kreis/History-Premio-Leonardo.doc Rotary Club Firenze: History of the Leonardo da Vinci Award] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719080808/http://www.rotary-wuerzburg.de/Leonardo%20Kreis/History-Premio-Leonardo.doc |date=19 July 2011 }} (2009). Retrieved 28 December 2010.</ref>

In 1982, at the age of 12, Sgouros made his [[Carnegie Hall]] debut.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rockwell|first=John|date=1982-04-17|title=CONCERT: PIANIST, 12 (Published 1982)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/04/17/arts/concert-pianist-12.html|access-date=2020-12-07|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He performed [[Piano Concerto No. 3 (Rachmaninoff)|Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3]] with the [[National Symphony Orchestra (United States)|National Symphony Orchestra]], conducted by [[Mstislav Rostropovich]].<ref name="SgourosBiography2008"/> In mid-1983, before he had turned 13, Sgouros graduated from the conservatory with a professor's diploma, teacher's diploma, first prize, and a gold medal.<ref name="Crankshaw1983"/> Sgouros continued his studies at the [[Royal Academy of Music]] of London and the [[University of Maryland, College Park]], in the United States of America.<ref name="SgourosBiography2008"/> He graduated from Royal Academy with the highest marks the institution had ever awarded.<ref name="SgourosBiography2008"/> Besides his musical talents, Sgouros has undertaken postgraduate studies in mathematics at the [[University of Oxford]].<ref name="SgourosMP3Photographic2009">[http://www.sgourosmp3.com/photographicportrait.html Dimitris Sgouros: A photographic portrait] (''c.'' 2009). Retrieved 22 May 2010.</ref>

Performances around the world have included concerts in Australia,<ref>[http://newsstore.fairfax.com.au/apps/newsSearch.ac?page=1&sy=nstore&sp=nrm&so=relevance&dt=selectRange&kw=dimitris+sgouros&dr=entire&pb=all_ffx&rc=50&sfx=headline&sfx=text&submit=Search Newspaper articles on Dimitris Sgouros from Fairfax archive] (mainly Sydney).</ref><ref>[http://www.sgourosmp3.com/concertads.html Dimitris Sgouros Australian tours – Concert programmes & nationwide reviews]</ref> Austria, Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, France, Germany, Hong Kong,<ref>[http://legacy.library.ucsf.edu/tid/buf18a00 Legacy Tobacco Documents Library, University of California, San Francisco – Philip Morris Collection – Dimitris Sgouros in Hong Kong (1989 Cartier Master Series)]</ref> Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, New Zealand,<ref>[https://kura.aucklandlibraries.govt.nz/digital/search/collection/akldpeople!indexcards/searchterm/Dimitris%20Sgouros/field/all/mode/exact/conn/and Dimitris Sgouros newspaper citations], Auckland Libraries.</ref> Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, and Turkey.<ref>[http://arsiv.ntvmsnbc.com/news/205306.asp?cp1=1 Sgouros concert in Ankara – article from NTV MS-NBC (in Turkish)]</ref> Sgouros has performed for the royal families of Britain, Monaco,<ref>[http://www.sgourosmp3.com/hebdo-magazine.htm Hebdo Magazine feature on Sgouros (November 1984)] {{in lang|fr}}</ref><ref>[http://www.palais.mc/monaco/x-net/internet-palais-princier/english/museums-et-culture/summer-concerts/summer-concerts.454.html Prince's Palace of Monaco – Summer Concerts] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100212201114/http://www.palais.mc/monaco/x-net/internet-palais-princier/english/museums-et-culture/summer-concerts/summer-concerts.454.html |date=12 February 2010 }}</ref> and Sweden, and played under the baton of renowned conductors such as [[Herbert von Karajan]], [[Leonard Bernstein]], [[Emil Tabakov]], [[Kurt Masur]], and [[Yevgeny Svetlanov]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s630178.htm |title=ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Sgouros & USSR Sym Orch/Svetlanov perform Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No 1 |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=12 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113091608/http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s630178.htm |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He has recorded for various record labels, including Dino Music<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s823345.htm |title=ABC Classic FM broadcast schedule – Dino Music album with Sgouros |website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]] |access-date=27 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113080128/http://www.abc.net.au/classic/daily/stories/s823345.htm |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.sgourosmp3.com/1989LP2.JPG Dimitris Sgouros album on Dino Music – track listing]</ref>, M.E.I. Records<ref>[https://sgourosmp3.com/sgouros_australian_recordings.htm Dimitris Sgouros Live Commercial Australian Recordings]</ref> and [[EMI]].<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054T8D74 2011 EMI Classics release with Dimitris Sgouros – 'Essential Liszt']</ref> Since March 1988, three Sgouros Festivals have been instituted, in [[Hamburg]], [[Ljubljana]], and Singapore.<ref>[http://mms.elibraryhub.com/SHC/Ephemera%20Collection/Posters/090000499.pdf Concert poster – Sgouros with the USSR Festival Orchestra in Singapore, 1990]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>[http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Issue/straitstimes19901021.aspx Concert advertisement] – The Straits Times, 21 October 1990</ref><ref>[http://newspapers.nl.sg/Digitised/Issue/straitstimes19911022.aspx Sgouros at Victoria Concert Hall]. Concert notice, The Straits Times, 22 October 1991</ref>

Sgouros has featured prominently in the media, having appeared on NBC's ''[[The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson]]''<ref>[https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=sgouros+carson&btnG=Search+Archives&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=a TV guides from Ocala Star-Banner & Chicago Tribune] (1982).</ref> and a television concert with Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto.<ref name="MiamiNews">[https://archive.today/20130125055540/http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gswlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=TPMFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4957,5107399&dq=sgouros+caracas&hl=en The Miami News TV guide] (1986).</ref><ref name="NewYorkTimes">[http://tv.nytimes.com/show/58612/Prodigy/overview – TV Special – Listings]. The New York Times Retrieved 3 January 2011.</ref> He has also been profiled by Oscar-winning director François Reichenbach in a feature-length documentary film.<ref name="MusikindenMedien">[http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&tbo=1&tbs=bks:1&q=dimitris+sgouros+reichenbach&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai= Google Books citation – Musik in den Medien] Retrieved on 3 January 2011.</ref><ref name="LosAngelesTimes">[https://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=sgouros+reichenbach&btnG=Search+Archives&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&scoring=a – Music News] Los Angeles Times (1984). Retrieved 3 January 2011.</ref>

==See also== * [[List of classical pianists]] * [[List of classical pianists (recorded)]] * [[List of music prodigies]]

==Notes== {{refbegin}} '''a.''' {{note_label|A|a|none}} Sgouros's name sometimes appears as Dimitrios Sgouros. {{refend}}

==References==

===Citations=== {{reflist}}

===Bibliography=== *Tarallo, Alfredo (1993). "Sgouros, Poet of the Piano." ''Il Mattino''. 26 July. *[[Udo Klement|Klement, Udo]] (1991). "Fascinating Sgouros: Gewandhaus Orchestra with pianist Dimitris Sgouros." ''Leipziger Volkszeitung'' *Ardoin, John (1989). "Pianist Sgouros is an Old Master at 19." ''Dallas Morning News''. 12 January. *[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/21/arts/review-concert-young-american-choruses.html Crutchfield, Will (1988). "Review/Concert; Young American Choruses." ''New York Times''. April 21.] *Ardoin, John (1987). "Sgouros Proves Electrifying – Pianist Plays Brilliantly with FW Symphony." ''Dallas Morning News''. 20 October. *Guenther, Roy (1985). "Dimitris Sgouros: Flash Without Feeling." ''Washington Post''. 17 July. *Rosenberg, Donald (1984). "A Gifted Pianist Who Is Not Yet 15." ''Philadelphia Inquirer''. 27 July. *Finn, Robert (1984). "Young Greek Pianist Does Amazingly Well on Mozart." ''Cleveland Plain Dealer''. 15 July. *Mclellan, Joseph (1984). "Dimitris Sgouros: Coming of Age." ''Washington Post''. 9 July. *Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Dimitris Sgouros' Promising Piano." ''Washington Post''. 19 July. *Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Pianist's Return." ''Washington Post''. 23 April. *Mclellan, Joseph (1982). "Bravo Sgouros." ''Washington Post''. 16 April. *Thomas, R. M. (1982). "Boy Vs. Rachmaninoff." ''The New York Times''. 15 April.

==External links== * [http://www.sgouros-pianist.com/ Classical Pianist Dimitris Sgouros] * [http://sgourosmp3.com Free video and mp3 downloads of Dimitris Sgouros' playing]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sgouros, Dimitris}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Musicians from Athens]] [[Category:Greek people of Aromanian descent]] [[Category:Aromanian musicians]] [[Category:21st-century Greek classical pianists]] [[Category:21st-century male pianists]]