Petronel Malan, Pianist

The Winner of 2000 International Web Concert Hall Competition

Petronel Malan is not a newcomer to the concert stage, having performed solo recitals since the age of seven. A riveting figure on stage, reviewers have described Miss Malan as breathtaking, extraordinary and brilliant! They speak of her power, technical mastery, delicacy and poetry. In 2000, four gold medals were awarded to Miss Malan from the Louise McMahon International, Missouri Southern International, Los Angeles Liszt Competition "Budapest Concert" and the Hilton Head International music competitions. She was also a grand prize win in the "2000 Web Concert Hall Auditions" and silver medallist in the In 1999 New Orleans International Piano Competition. Other awards include gold medals in the 1998 Young Texas Artists Competition, the 1996 Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition (San Antonio), the 1994 Grace Welsh Prize for Piano (Chicago) and silver medal, (no gold awarded) in the 1996 Bellini International Piano Competition. In 1990 she captured the SABC Music Prize (South Africa's most prestigious) and before her departure from South Africa in 1991, Miss Malan won every competition she was eligible to enter. After Miss Malan's European debut in Rome in 1987, she continued to perform in cultural centers such as Paris, London, Salzburg, Los Angeles, New York, Beverly Hills and Chicago. She has also appeared at the highly respected Gilmore and Ravinia festivals. Her concerts have been broadcast in the United States (including on NPR), Canada, Europe and in South Africa. Miss Malan has performed with all the major orchestras in South Africa, as well as orchestras in Italy and various cities in the North and South America. Recent and upcoming highlights include performances at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in New York, the Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, Loyola University's "Montage Concert Series," and the Tuesday Musical Club of San Antonio. Orchestral appearances include the Lawton, Hilton Head and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestras and appearances in Canada, Hungary, Colombia, Czech Republic, Great Britain and France. A 2001 South African tour will launch her first CD of a series to be released under "BMG Records Africa". Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Miss Malan began piano lessons at age four with her mother, an opera singer. Recognized as a prodigy, Miss Malan debuted with the Johannesburg Symphony at the age of ten playing Kabalevsky's Youth Concerto. She won her first national gold medal at age twelve and the first international gold at age fourteen in the Third International Piano Competition in Marsala, Sicily. After an early education with Dr. Adolph Hallis, she continued her studies under Cliburn gold-medallists Steven de Groote and Ralph Votapek. Presently based in the United States, Malan completed her undergraduate work at Michigan State University and her graduate degrees at the University of North Texas, studying with Joseph Banowetz.