Louis Lortie is a classical music pianist born in Montreal, Canada on April 27, 1959. He studied piano from an early age, performing with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at the age of 13 before winning first prize at both the Canadian National Competition and the CBC-Radio Canada Competition. At the age of 16, he toured Japan with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. Following an engagement with the Toronto Orchestra and the teaching of Leon Fleisher, his career flourished with first prizes at the Busoni Competition and the Leeds International Competition in 1984. Collaborating with various American and English orchestras, he specializes in the Classical and Romantic repertoires. His recordings of works by Beethoven (complete Sonatas), Chopin, Liszt and Ravel (complete piano works) mark his long collaboration with the Chandos label. In 1990, he released Music for Four Hands, an album of Ravel's music performed with Hélène Mercier. The following year, he began presenting Beethoven's piano sonatas, finishing eight complete works by the year 2000. In 1992, he was named Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 1994 he was knighted in the National Order of Quebec and received an honorary doctorate from Université Laval. He continues to perform with numerous orchestras around the world.
