CHRISTIAN LEOTTA

www.christianleotta.com

Christian Leotta, in April 2004, was awarded the prestigious President's Medal by the President of the Italian Republic, Hon. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, for his performances in Italy, Europe and the Americas of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. This important award, the highest provided in official recognition of an artistic accomplishment, follows a series of unquestioned successes by Mr. Leotta as a recital soloist and with orchestra, in his native Italy as well as in more than 30 countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Appearing in Montreal at the age of only 22, in 2002, Christian Leotta is the youngest pianist since the youthful Daniel Barenboim ever to undertake a recital series, presented in less than one month, encompassing the entire corpus of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas. Since then, twelve cycles have been successfully performed, notably in international music capitals such as Madrid, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, Venice, Québec City, etc., etc.

Mr. Leotta worldwide engagements have included concerts in important theatres and concert halls, such as the Philharmonie at the Gasteig in Munich, the Konzerthaus of Vienna, the Tonhalle of Zurich, the Teatro Ghione of Rome, the Sala Verdi of Milan's Conservatory and the Auditorium of Milan, the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Florida, the Murchison Performing Arts Center and the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts and the Jackson Auditorium in Texas, the Singletary Center for Performing Arts in Kentucky, the Nezahualcóyotl Hall of Mexico City, the Sala Cecília Meireles of Rio de Janeiro, the Museo Isaac Fernández Blanco of Buenos Aires, the great hall at the Bunka Kaikan Theatre of Tokyo, the Esplanade Hall of Singapore, the Old Museum Auditorium of Brisbane, the Town Hall of Wellington, the Acropolium of Carthage, the State Theatre of Pretoria.

Mr. Leotta has also played with orchestras as diverse as the Münchner Philharmoniker, the Neuen Philharmonie Westfalen, the Wiener Kammerorchester, the Orchestra Nazionale Sinfonica della RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi, the Pomeriggi Musicali di Milano, the Lexington Philharmonic, the Mid-Texas Symphony, the Richardson Symphony, the Symphony of the Americas, the U.N.T. Chamber Orchestra.

In 2000 Mr. Leotta was the only classical musician honored to take part in the gala concert entitled the "World Jubilee Day of the Artists" in Rome, organized by the Vatican and seen on television by millions of people.

A pupil of Karl Ulrich Schnabel, Mr. Leotta was born in Catania, Italy. He began playing the piano at the age of 7 and studied at Milan’s Conservatory with Mario Patuzzi, then at the Theo Lieven International Piano Foundation on Lake Como, and with Rosalyn Tureck at the "Tureck Bach Research Foundation" of Oxford, as well as at the Literature and Philosophy Faculty of Milano's State University.

In May 2007 the leading Canadian international label Atma Classique signed Christian Leotta to record the entire corpus of Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas in a collection of 10 CDs. In March 2008 the "Volume I" (comprising the Piano Sonatas Op. 10 No. 3, Op. 13 “Pathétique”, Op. 26, Op. 57 “Appassionata”, Op. 78 and Op. 111) was released worldwide and highly acclaimed by both the national and international press. Christian Leotta has recorded for radio and television of Europe and the Americas, recording a CD for the prestigious label Ermitage. In October 2003 the HDNet (High Definition Television Production Company in Dallas, Texas) produced a film on Christian Leotta comprising the live recordings of Mozart's piano Concerto No. 12 K. 414 and Beethoven's piano sonata No. 29 Op. 106 "Hammerklavier".

Highlights of the season 2008/2009 include the performances of Beethoven’s 5 Piano Concertos and the Choral Fantasy Op. 80, as well as Beethoven’s 10 Piano and Violin Sonatas.

VISIT CHRISTIAN'S WEB SITE

www.christianleotta.com