Norris, David Owen
Norris, David Owen
Norris, David Owen, English pianist and teacher; b. Northampton, June 16, 1953. He studied at Keble Coll., Oxford (1972–75) and was an organ scholar at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1975–77). Following the completion of his training in Paris (1977–78), he returned to London as a prof. at the Royal Academy of Music (from 1978). In 1982 he won third prize in the Geneva competition. He secured his reputation as both a pianist and broadcaster via frequent appearances with the BBC; also made extensive tours of Europe and North America. In 1991 he was honored as the first recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award of Kalamazoo, Mich. In 1992 he became chairman of the faculty of the Steans Inst. for Singers in Chicago and artistic director of the Cardiff Festival in Wales. In 1993 he was honored with the Gresham professorship in music in London. Norris has eschewed the usual path of the virtuoso, opting instead for a steady enhancement of his interpretive powers in a varied repertoire ranging from the classics to the contemporary era.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire