Positions Held
Artist in Residence, Professor, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto 1965-1989
Visiting professor Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Montreal 2007-2008
Sessional Faculty Member: Aspen Music Festival [Colorado], Marlboro Music Festival [Vermont], The Banff Centre [Alberta], Steans Music Institute [Illinois], Centre d’arts d’Orford [Quebec], University of British Columbia, Penticton Summer School of the Arts [British Columbia], Caramoor Festival [New York]Rising Stars program
Founder and Artistic Director, Northstars Concerts Toronto 1977-1982
Founder and Artistic Director, Festival of the Sound, 1979-1985
Artistic advisor, Music Toronto 1994
Director, International Carl Czerny Festival, University of Alberta, 2002
Artistic Director, Mooredale Concerts which includes performance and youth orchestra conducting duties 2007-2014
Artistic Director Emeritus, Mooredale Concerts 2015-
Watch a McGill University lecture on late Beethoven piano works from May 2008.
Awards
National Music League Award 1956; Philadelphia Orchestra Youth Prize, 1957; Leventritt Award 1957; Juno Award 1976 [nominated 7 times including 2009, 2011]; Toronto Arts Award, 1997; Officer, Order of Canada 1998; Opus Award, Quebec 1998; The Banff Centre National Arts Award 2007; Schumann Prize of the Schumann Gesellschaft, Germany 2007; Governor-General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award Canada 2008; Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), and Order of Ontario 2016.
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Honours
PhD (hon) York University 1985; Laurentian University 1985; Cleveland Institute of Music 1996; Memorial University 2001; Dalhousie University 2002; McGill University 2004; Wilfrid Laurier University 2005; The University of Western Ontario 2007; Brandon University 2012.
Performance Feats
33 Variations on a Waltz by A. Diabelli, Ludwig van Beethoven, Op. 120:
Demanding one hour performances preceded by a 10-15 minute lecture on the music, its history, development and how best to appreciate this massive work for solo piano.
“The miracle occurred when Anton Kuerti began his superior interpretation of the ‘Diabelli Variations’…. this work is considered an unconquerable fortress by many a pianist. Not by Kuerti whose performance was flawless, dazzling, lively and analytical, with an unparalleled ability to link the 33 variations with each other.” – Trouw, Amsterdam June 2008
Beethoven 32 Sonata Cycles: New York, Boston, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Kitchener, Kingston, Hamilton, Philadelphia
Beethoven 5 Concerto Marathons: Toronto, New York, Calgary, Worcester, Columbus, Kitchener, St. John’s, Honolulu, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Victoria, Hamilton, and in Santa Fe May 2011.
Triumphant after performing 5 Beethoven Concerti, Kaufman Auditorium, 92nd Street, New York City. Jens Nygaard (on his right).
August 1997 he performed all 5 Beethoven Concerti [plus the Choral Fantasia] in one evening at the Festival de Lanaudiére in Joliette, Quebec. This unique event (which, as far as can be determined, had never been done before) was repeated on New Years’ Eve, 1997-98 at the esteemed Kaufman Auditorium of the 92nd Street YMHA New York.
Schubert Sonata Cycles: Boston, Toronto, Kingston, Ottawa, Kitchener
Canadian tours to smaller venues: Extended road trips travelling to over 150 towns across Canada bringing classical piano music to people who have little to no access to top flight performance. Anton drove his own specially converted van, loading/unloading and tuning his own concert grand piano.
“I like the way Anton described the composer who’s music he feels closest to. Iridescent, I’ve never been able to put my finger on Schumann’s style but that totally fits. Thank you Mr. Kuerti for making the trip to small Interior cities of BC. We very much appreciate listening to your artistry in our communities.” Derek Lindner, Comment posted on This is My Music-Anton Kuerti, CBC Radio, Nov 2012
Articles
As a music scholar, Anton wrote many articles for practitioners and professionals alike. One of his most widely read was on the topic of the piano as an instrument, titled What Pianists Should Know About Pianos. Originally written and published in Clavier Magazine, May-June 1973, it was updated on request by PT Journal, March 1975 (piano technicians). Thirty-plus years later, it continues to garner renewed interest amongst College and University Technicians in the U.S. A member retyped the entire article to make it distributable to piano technicians as part of their training.
Turning to the training of pianists, a pair of favoured articles are Fresh Fingers and What If? The former gives instruction on finger technique for optimum performance and the latter on interpretation of rhythms amongst dotted notes. Equally fascinating is his scholarly view on interpretation: Beethoven and ‘the tie that binds’
Below is a National Film Board of Canada commissioned short about Anton that was shown when he received the Governor-General’s Lifetime Artistic Achievement Award in 2008.