Daniel Barenboim

Daniel Barenboim was born in Buenos Aires in 1942 into a family of Ukrainian Jewish descent. He first studied piano with his parents, and made his debut recital at the age of seven. In 1951, he played at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and observed Igor Markevitch's conducting class. Three years later, Barenboim went back to Salzburg to pursue his musical studies, and made the pilgrimage to Fontainebleau for Nadia Boulanger’s class on music theory and composition.
 
Barenboim began touring internationally, giving recitals, performing with and conducting great orchestras around the world. He has now guest conducted virtually all of the world's leading orchestras and opera houses. Barenboim has served as music director of the Orchestre de Paris, artistic director of the new Bastille Opéra, and music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra — where he was asked to succeed Sir Georg Solti. In 1992, Barenboim became music director of the Berlin State Opera, then named chief conductor for life by its orchestra in 2002. He has also received awards for his efforts to bring together and mentor young Israeli and Palestinian musicians.
 
Barenboim has a rich recorded repertoire as a conductor, pianist, accompanist, and chamber music player. Interestingly, as a pianist, he tends to focus on Mozart, Beethoven, and the early Romantics, while as a conductor he favors later Romantic music, particularly Brahms and Bruckner (he has won a medal from the Bruckner Society of America).
 
Daniel Barenboim has been a Steinway Artist since 1962.