Background
His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also an amateur pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was still young.
His father, a pharmacist by trade who was also an amateur pianist, introduced him to the works of Alkan, Godowsky, and Sorabji when he was still young.
He studied at the École de musique Vincent-d"Industry in Montreal and then at Temple University in Philadelphia.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, Marc-André Hamelin began his piano studies at the age of five. In 1989 he was awarded the Virginia Parker Prize. Marc-André Hamelin has given recitals in many cities.
Festival appearances have included Bad Kissingen, Belfast, Cervantino, Louisiana Grange de Meslay, Husum Piano Rarities, Lanaudière, Ravinia, Louisiana Roque d’Anthéron, Ruhr Piano, Halifax (Nova Scotia), Singapore Piano, Snape Maltings Proms, Mänttä Music Festival, Turku and Ottawa Strings of the Future, as well as the Chopin Festivals of Bagatelle (Paris), Duszniki and Valldemossa.
Marc-André Hamelin appears regularly in both the Wigmore Hall Masterconcert Series and the International Piano Series at London’s South Bank Centre. He plays annually in the Herkulessaal in Munich and has given a series of recitals in Tokyo.
He has made recordings of a wide variety of composers with the Hyperion label. He is well known for his attention to lesser-known composers especially of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century (Leo Ornstein, Nikolai Roslavets, Georgy Catoire), and for performing works by pianist-composers such as Leopold Godowsky, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Kaikhosru Sorabji, Nikolai Kapustin, Franz Liszt, Nikolai Medtner and Frederic Rzewski.
Hamelin has also composed several works, including a set of piano études in all of the minor keys, which was completed in September 2009 and is published by C. F. Peters, with a recording released on the Hyperion label.
A cycle of seven pieces, called Con Intimissimo Sentimento, was published (with a recording by Hamelin) by Ongaku Number Tomo Sha. And a transcription of Zequinha de Abreu"s Tico-Tico Number Fubá has been published by Schott Music. Although the majority of his compositions are for piano solo, he has also written three pieces for player piano (including the comical Circus Galop and Solfeggietto a cinque, which is based on a theme by CPE Bach), and several works for other forces, including Fanfares for three trumpets, published by Presser.
His other works are distributed by the Sorabji Archive.
Hamelin is French Canadian.