Dang Thai Son
“A genuine musician” - Isaac Stern
Dang Thai Son was propelled to the forefront of the musical world in October 1980,
when he was awarded the First Prize and Gold Medal at the Xth International Chopin
Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland. It was also the first time that a top international
competition was won by an Asian pianist.
He began piano studies with his mother in Hanoi, later at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky
Conservatory with V. Natanson and D. Bashkirov.
Since winning the Chopin Competition, his international career has taken him to over
forty countries, into such world-renowned halls as LincolnCenter (New York), Barbican
Center (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), Musikverein (Vienna), Concertgebouw (Amsterdam),
Opera House (Sydney), and Suntory Hall (Tokyo).
He has played with numerous world-class orchestras such as the Philharmonia , Orchestre Nationale de Paris, Staatskapelle Berlin, St-Petersburg Philharmonic, Orchestre Symphonique de Montreal, Czech Philharmonic, Warsaw National Philharmonic, NHK Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Russian National Symphony … under the direction of Sir Neville Marriner, Pinchas Zukerman, Mariss Jansons, Pavvo Jarvi, and Vladimir Ashkenazy among others.
Other career highlights include a New Year's Day concert (1995) with Yo Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa, Kathleen Battle, and the late Mstislav Rostropovich, in a major international event produced by the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation NHK; on Chopin's 200th Birthday, March 1st, 2010, he played at the Gala Concert in Warsaw. During the 2012-2013 season, Dang Thai Son toured around the world with all five Beethoven's piano concertos.
He is currently a Piano Faculty member at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Ohio, USA) and at the New England Conservatory in Boston (Massachusetts, USA.) In June 2019, he was invited to be the honorary Professor at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China.
Dang Thai Son is frequently invited to give master classes around the world - such as the special class in Berlin in October, 1999, where he taught alongside Murray Perahia and Vladimir Ashkenazy. He has sat on the juries of prestigious competitions such as the Warsaw International Chopin Piano Competition (2005, 2010, 2015, 2021), Cleveland (USA), Clara Haskil (Switzerland), Artur Rubinstein (Tel-Aviv), Hamamatsu, Sendai (Japan), Piano Masters of Monte Carlo, Sviatoslav Richter (Moscow), Prague Spring International, Montreal International Piano Competition, and Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition among others. His pupils garnered top international prizes including the most recent winner of the 2021 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.
Dang Thai Son has recorded for Deutsche Grammophone, Melodya, Polskie Nagrania, CBS Sony, Analekta, Victor JVC, and the Fryderyk Chopin Institute.
His recent release, selected as “La clef du mois” (Disc of the Month) by ResMusica (France,) devotes to Paderewski's compositions which includes the Piano Concerto in a minor and a selection of Paderewski's solo works. The Piano Concerto on this CD was recorded live in 2015 with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Vladimir Ashkenazy.
In September of 2018, Dang Thai Son received the Gold Medal “Merit to Culture” from the Ministry of Culture of Poland. This is the highest level of distinction awarded to people for their distinguished contributions to Polish culture and national heritage.
Dang Thai Son’s recording of Chopin’s Nocturnes was selected by Deutsche Grammophon, in partnership with The Frederyk Chopin Institute, for its special edition of “Chopin on period instruments” album.
Visit www.dangthaison.net for more information.