Stephen Kovacevich, American pianist, dies at 86
The California-born pianist, who studied with Dame Myra Hess in London, made his debut at 11 and his Wigmore Hall recital debut in 1961.
The American pianist Stephen Kovacevich died on October 27, 2026, at the age of 86.
Kovacevich was born in California and made his debut at the age of 11. In 1959 he moved to London to study with Dame Myra Hess, and in 1961 he gave his debut recital at Wigmore Hall.
He made his Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut at the Ravinia Festival in August 1970, playing Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and returned to Chicago many times over the next four decades as a concerto soloist and recitalist.
Source: Pizzicato, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
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