James Rhodes (pianist)
| James Rhodes | |
|---|---|
May 2016
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Edward Rhodes |
| Born |
6 March 1975 London, England |
| Genres | Classical |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 2008-present |
| Labels | Signum Records, Warner Bros. Records |
| Website | www |
James Rhodes (born 6 March 1975 in London) is a British concert pianist.
James Edward Rhodes was born into a middle class Jewish family in St John's Wood, North London. He was educated at Arnold House School, a local all-boys independent preparatory school. There, he experienced sexual abuse by his PE teacher, who died before he could appear in court. Rhodes suffered mentally as well as physically, including spinal damage, eating disorders and PTSD.
Aged 7, he borrowed the CD of Beethoven's Emperor Concerto from his father's collection. He was taught piano, but did not progress formally beyond Grade 3. First moving to a local boarding school, he was educated at Harrow School, where he worked with piano teacher Colin Stone, from the age of 13 onwards. It was during this period that he entered the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition, but failed to make it past the second round.
In 1993, he was offered a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
A fan of the Russian pianist Grigory Sokolov, Rhodes wrote to Sokolov's agent Franco Panozzo in Italy, with the idea that Rhodes would become a music agent himself. Panozzo responded, and after Rhodes sent him a bottle of Champagne Krug, the pair arranged to meet in Italy. After hearing Rhodes play, Panozzo arranged for Rhodes to have a brief tutorage under the renowned piano teacher Edoardo Strabbioli in Verona, Italy. However after a period Rhodes was institutionalised.
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Wikipedia