Biography

James Moussaieff Raphael

James Raphael was born in Los Angeles, California (father born in Salonika, Greece, and mother born in Paris, France from Boucharian ancestors). James began his piano studies at the age of 8 in Brighton, England, after having become intrigued by a 200-year-old piano in his father's antique store.

The family later moved to Athens, Greece, where James studied at the Athens Conservatory of Music, and later to Rome, Italy. He received his diploma from the Conservatory of Paris with Aldo Ciccolini and Nadia Boulanger, and then in Rome at the Academy of Santa Cecilia with Carlo Zecchi and Rina Rossi, from where he graduated with maximum points and highest possible honors. He also participated in the master classes of Nikita Magaloff and Stanislav Neuhaus, whose school has produced pianists such as Richter and Ashkenazy. It was in Paris that he first attended a concert by the legendary Arthur Rubinstein and convinced the great pianist to listen to him play. Being profoundly touched, Rubinstein tutored James at various times over the next few years.

James Raphael has embarked on a career of international dimension performing solo and with orchestras throughout the world. He also competed in several international piano competitions such as the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Liszt Competition in Budapest, and the first Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Israel, greatly acclaimed by the public and jury.

The Sudwestfunk Radio and Television of Baden-Baden, Germany, has broad-casted and the Vatican Radio has globally transmitted his recordings, as well as his recently published compositions "I3 Variations and Fugue on the theme HATIKVA" and "KADDISH Or piano solo", dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust in Tecial memory of his grandmother Julie, Uncle Victor, and Aunt Beatrice, deported from 5alonika to Auschwitz.

Millions of people have seen him on the Disney Channel in Steven Allen's "Music Room", performing Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue.

Hearing him in a concert, one of America's greatest living painters, LeRoy Neiman, made his magnificent portrait and presented it to him as a gift. It now appears on the cover of his CD for the Protone label titled "James Raphael plays Respighi and Liszt". He was also painted by R, C, Gorman playing the Ritual fire Dance as well as by the Italian surrealist Agostino Seibmann commemorating his historic recital in the Italian medieval city of Vitorchiano, The Italian artists Raffaello Tenaglia and Vittorio Piccinini also honored him with portraits of his performance of Liszt's "St, Francis preaching to his birth".

The city of Vitorchiano (Viterbo) now sponsors his yearly summer piano perfection course which attracts young aspiring master from all over the world. Mr, Raphael is also an expert gemologist and is well known for his unusual jewelry designs.