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Italian Pianist Fabio Bidini to Join Colburn School as
First Professor to Hold the Carol Grigor Piano Chair
The Newly Named Chair Was Established through a $5 Million Endowment Gift
February 12, 2015 – The Colburn School has appointed Fabio Bidini as its new piano professor and
inaugural holder of the Carol Grigor Piano Chair. Bidini is currently professor of piano at the prestigious
Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and is a celebrated concert pianist. He will begin teaching
piano students in the Conservatory of Music in the fall of 2015.
The Carol Grigor Piano Chair was established through a $5 million gift from Carol Grigor. Grigor is
Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Colburn School, as well as a board member of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. She is a longtime supporter of the Colburn School, and generous patron of the arts in Los
Angeles and in Scotland where she resides. She is a pianist, and holds a Bachelor of Music in
performance from Indiana University and a Master of Music from Yale.
“Mr. Bidini is one of the world’s foremost pianists and pedagogues, and I am thrilled that he will be
joining the revered faculty of the Colburn Conservatory of Music,” said Grigor. “Our piano students
demonstrate a superb level of talent and commitment, and it is my honor to contribute to the artistic
development of future generations through this gift.”
Bidini credits the Colburn School’s level of musicianship, supportive academic atmosphere, and strong
leadership for his decision to join the faculty. “In its short history, the Colburn Conservatory of Music has
established itself as one of the world’s preeminent training grounds for outstanding young musicians,”
he said. “I am honored to contribute my experience and knowledge to the school and its next
generation of artists.”
“Carol Grigor’s leadership gift has allowed the school to attract an artist and pedagogue of the highest
international stature to fill this position, and the appointment of Mr. Bidini to our esteemed faculty
represents a great moment of pride for the Colburn School,” said Colburn School President and CEO Sel
Kardan. “We look forward to welcoming him as the first piano professor to hold the Carol Grigor Piano
Chair in the fall.”
“I’d like to thank Mrs. Grigor for her outstanding generosity in endowing the Carol Grigor Piano Chair,
guaranteeing that students for years to come will have access to the greatest instructors the world has
to offer,” said Vice Chairman of the Colburn School Board of Directors Andrew Millstein. “Leadership
gifts such as hers are essential to ensuring that the Colburn School maintains and furthers its status as a
leading performing arts institution.”
Bidini he has served as professor of piano at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, one of
Europe’s premiere music conservatories, since 2009. A prolific performing and recording artist, Bidini
has toured worldwide as both a soloist and collaborative musician and has over thirteen albums in his
discography. He is recognized for his technical prowess and poetic lyricism, and has appeared with such
orchestras as the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Budapest Festival
Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and many others. He previously served as a piano
faculty member at the Universität der Künste–Berlin.
Bidini will begin teaching at the Colburn School’s Conservatory of Music during the 2015–2016 school
year. Application deadlines for new students at the conservatory have passed, but admitted piano
students will have the option of studying with him.
About Fabio Bidini
Italian pianist Fabio Bidini is one of this generation’s top-flight pianists and pedagogues. His appearances
have included performances with The London Symphony Orchestra at The Barbican, The Philharmonia
Orchestra of London at Royal Festival Hall, the New World Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony
Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Forth Worth Symphony Orchestra, The
Philharmonia Orchestra Prague at the Rudolphinum, and the Hungarian National Philharmonic
Orchestra at Liszt Academy Hall. He has collaborated with conductors including Michael Tilson Thomas,
Carlos Prieto, Max Valdes, Dimitry Sitkovetsky, Ivan Fisher, Jesus Lopez Cobos, JoAnn Falletta, Zoltan
Kocsis, Michael Christie, and Gianandrea Noseda.
The 2014-15 season finds Fabio Bidini appearing in North America with various U.S. orchestras including
the Buffalo Philharmonic (for the sixth time), the Hawaii Symphony, and the Reading Symphony. In the
2013-14 season, he performed with the Phoenix Symphony (Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2), Wichita Falls
Symphony (Khachaturian Concerto), and the Paducah Symphony (Ravel Piano Concerto in G Major).
Bidini has repeatedly performed at the prestigious festivals of Europe, including the Tuscan Sun Festival
Cortona/Napa, Festival Radio France Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon, La Roque d’Anthéron
International Piano Festival, Stern Grove Festival, Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli International Piano
Festival/ Brescia, and Bergamo, Festival dei due Mondi.
A native of Arezzo, Italy, Bidini began his piano studies at the age of five. He graduated magna cum
laude from the Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and studied composition at the Florence Conservatory. He
has been awarded first prize in eleven of Italy’s most prestigious national piano competitions and has
been the recipient of the top prizes awarded in eight international competitions - Terni, Köln, Busoni
1988 and 1992, Pretoria, Marsala, London and the Van Cliburn Fort Worth. He made his North American
debut in 1993 with the Atlanta Symphony.
Bidini’s discography comprises thirteen CDs recorded under the labels BMG, Classichord, Musikstrasse,
EPR and True Sounds.
In 2005, Bidini accepted a professorship in the piano department at Berlin’s Univerität der Künste, and in
2009, he was appointed to one of the most prestigious chairs in German music schools at the
Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler, also in Berlin.
About the Colburn School
The Colburn School is a performing arts school located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles,
neighboring Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Music Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and the
Broad Museum. The acclaimed faculty provides students with the highest quality performing arts
education, which includes a multitude of performance opportunities in a state-of-the-art facility. More
than 2,000 students attend classes at the Conservatory of Music, the Community School of Performing
Arts, the Music Academy, and the Dance Academy.
About the Conservatory of Music
Opened in 2003, the Conservatory of Music has become one of the nation’s leading educators of highly
talented college-age students pursuing the most rigorous classical instrumental music performance
training. The conservatory provides full financial scholarships, including tuition, room, and board for all
students. Programs include the Bachelor of Music degree, Performance Diploma, Professional Studies
Certificate, Artist Diploma, and the Master of Music degree.
Admission to the conservatory is highly selective and requires a formal application and audition. The
school presents its conservatory students in more than 150 recitals and performances each year, many
of which are free and open to the public.
Visit colburnschool.edu for more information.
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