Douglas, Barry
Douglas, Barry
Douglas, Barry, Irish pianist and conductor; b. Belfast, April 23, 1960. He studied clarinet, cello, and organ, and also received piano lessons from Felicitas Lewinter; he then attended the Belfast School of Music, winning a scholarship to continue training with John Barstow at the Royal Coll. of Music in London, and with Maria Curcio. In 1981 he made his London debut, subsequently winning the Silver Medal at the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Israel (1983), the Bronze Medal at the Van Cliburn Competition in Fort Worth (1985), and the Gold Medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow (1986). In 1988 he made his N.Y. recital debut at Carnegie Hall. During the 1988–89 season, he toured in the U.S., concluding his engagements with an appearance as soloist with the St. Louis Sym. Orch. at N.Y.’s Lincoln Center. He subsequently toured throughout the world. In later years, he also became active as a conductor. In 1999 he founded and became conductor of the Camerata Ireland.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire