Photo: Nigel ParryEmanuel Ax
Lviv, Ukraine; Polish parents; raised in Winnipeg, Canada
Emanuel Ax was born to Polish parents in what is today Lviv, Ukraine, and moved with his family to Winnipeg as a boy.
- First Rubinstein Competition winner, 1974
- Avery Fisher Prize, 1979
- Grammys with Yo-Yo Ma
- John Williams wrote him a concerto
- Musical America Artist of the Year 2026
“Combines the pianistic insight of an old master with the freshness and modesty of a newcomer.”
Upcoming events
His early teacher was the Polish virtuoso Mieczysław Munz; at Juilliard he learned chamber music from Felix Galimir and Lewis Kaplan. In 1974 he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, and in 1979 the Avery Fisher Prize. He has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording artist since 1987.
His Grammys include Haydn's piano sonatas and the Beethoven and Brahms cello sonatas with Yo-Yo Ma. John Williams wrote a piano concerto for him, premiered at Tanglewood in summer 2025. Musical America named him its 2026 Artist of the Year.
In January 2027 he plays Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto in Portland with the Oregon Symphony and David Danzmayr.
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