Kold9.com - Music for your soul

In May 2003, Maksim was introduced to an international audience at the Roundhouse in London. This memorable performance was captured by Mike Mansfield and is now available on DVD in 5.1 surround sound. The disc captures all facets of this exciting artist. In addition to the repertoire from his CD, Maksim also performed 2 classical pieces, a 'Chopin Nocturne in D Flat' & Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody'. Also included as bonus tracks are the promo videos for 'Bumble-Bee' & 'Exodus', which are not included on the album. 2006.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

With David Lanz having successfully made the transition from new age pioneer to smooth jazz artist, there are very few pianists remaining whose sole focus is the gently rhythmic, deeply melodic, and healing music that defines the classic genre. Kevin Kern is a newly minted Steinway artist (joining the prestigious ranks of, among others, Vladimir Horowitz, Herbie Hancock, and Billy Joel), and plays his latest set of stunning, soothing, and captivating melodies on The Hamburg Concert Grand — which he calls one of the most lyrical instruments he's ever performed on. More than simply a collection of ten originals (one of which, "Keepers of the Flame," was inspired by an ancient Gregorian chant) and a glowing cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold," the album is an impressionistic glimpse into Kern's childhood experiences of sitting at the piano in a darkened room lit only by firelight. This imagery inspires the classical-tinged intimacy of pure, hypnotic piano pieces like "Pearls of Joy," but Kern also enjoys sharing his memories with his small ensemble of Terry Miller (bass) and Mike Miller. Miller's acoustic guitar shimmers as the harmony line on "Remembering the Light" and joyfully shares the melody on parts of "Safe in Your Embrace" and "Musings." Channeling Imagination's Light magnificently, the sensitive and spirited Kern ensures that the flame of true new age music burns on.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Embracing the role of fellow spiritual seeker as well as composer, pianist Kevin Kern invites listeners to find a safe, comfortable place in their imaginations and tag along on what his CD packaging describes as a "self-guided healing visualization." For those favorably inclined toward such musical journeys of the soul, Kern proves to be a sincere and capable guide. His slowly unfolding piano works (periodically embellished with acoustic guitar, flute, strings and understated electronics) are soft, serene and, on occasion ("High above the Valley" and "Through the Veil" in particular), memorably attractive. The foil-stamped/die-cut/textured paper packaging for The Winding Path, Kern?s sixth career release, is first-rate; the story line it contains, centered on the discovery of a "cauldron of healing," is a matter of personal taste. As for the music, Kern?s compositions can intermittently seem a touch too sweet or simplistic, but the overall flavor is peaceful, relaxing and, considering the context, admirably refined. ~~ Terry Wood

It's always refreshing when an artist finds a unique niche and knows the role his or her music plays in the listener's life. In the case of elegant, meditation-minded composer/pianist Kevin Kern, it's creating an atmosphere for pure healing and relaxation. Rather than work up grandiose themes or pop melodies like some of his better-known new age peers, he is all about warmth, intimacy, and chilling out. Skeptics may bristle at liner note essays like his "Winding Path Guided Visualization," but at least he's honest about his primary goal to soothe, and that he won't mind if we drift off into a gentle sleep before waking up to a deeper self awareness. He enhances his piano on lush numbers like "The Touch of Love" with guitar and flute, and "The Way of the Stream" features a beautiful acoustic introduction by guitarist Jeff Linsky. Opening with a gentle rainstorm and Native American flute ambiences, "High Above the Valley" leads Kern into more exotic territory than ever before. Longtime Kern fans might not find these melodies quite as memorable as those on previous discs, but their simple beauty is undeniable. ~~ Jonathan Widran

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Kevin's Kern's fifth album, Embracing the Wind, is a collection of inspired emotional themes, deftly articulated through soft piano, warm rhythms, and acoustic guitar. The opening track, "Blossom on the Wind," begins with the gentle sound of a raindrop, a single note of stillness that sets the mood of this effort. For this particular work, Kern and producer Terence Yallop returned to the original source of their inspiration, the piano itself. With a tape continually running to capture each moment of expression, Kern and Yallop tapped into their own familiar wellspring of feeling, from the uplifting "Bathed in Dawn's Light," to the passionate "From This Day Forward," a piece that Kern composed for his fiancé in honor of their wedding day. While Embracing the Wind is a reflection of Kern's self-described "musical journey" through a myriad of influences, it maintains a classic simplicity of sound and arrangement built around a well-balanced framework of song structures. It's plain to see that he's grown considerably out of the first wobbling steps of New Age music into his own right as a composer and a pianist. Embracing the Wind is Kern's own acknowledgement of his coming-of-age as an artist, and like most things that get better with time, "Embracing the Wind" is to be savored slowly, appreciated newly again with each listen. ~~ Leslie R. Marini


As far as new age pianists go, Kevin Kern is far less known than either Jim Brickman or David Lanz, but his lush, melodic meditations fall somewhere in between the music of those two. It's far less direct and poppy than Brickman, and slightly less dramatic and conceptual than Lanz. The concept here was for label owner Terence Yallop to offer images to Kern in the studio, which Kern would then develop into full-fledged impressionistic pieces. Kern calls it an interchange of ideas featuring external and internal stimuli. Whatever their source, these are simply beautiful pieces perfect for dreaming, meditating, or stress relief. "Blossom on the Wind" opens the disc on a brooding, haunting note, with gentle orchestration sweeping the listener into a dreamscape. "Through Your Eyes" has more of a pop/classical flavor, catchy and bright from the middle register. "Childhood Remembered" is (like the opening track) more sparse and features a chamber music flavor. Many of these tunes sound like soft and caressing film score pieces in search of the images Kern no doubt dares the listener to create. One nearest and dearest to his heart is the sweet solo ballad "From This Day Forward," a piece enhanced by soft strings which is dedicated to his fiancé Pam. "A Secret Grove" has a similar feeling, enhanced by the balmy breeze of the acoustic guitar. The genre of new age music has taken many forms of worldbeat and exotic rhythms under its large umbrella. But Kern helps listeners remember the type of music that defined the genre once upon a time.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

This extremely melodic new age pianist makes no bones about his intentions. Based on song titles like "Love's First Smile," "To Sleep on Angel's Wings," and "Twirling in Time," it's clear that his lyrical, rhythmic piano pieces are intended to provide a sense of reflection, mellow joy, peace, and hope in a chaotic world. While he's a fine melodist who knows how to intricately weave melody and harmony (as on ensemble gems like "Dance of the Searching Souls"), what's most interesting is the way he bookends his nine original cuts. He names the album after the ultimate reflection song, the Beatles' "In My Life," and does a fairly pedestrian but quite graceful reading of that. Much more creative, though, is his choice of an opener, the obscure but simply beautiful Elton John classic (from 1975's Captain Fantastic), "We All Fall in Love Sometimes." John's piano-based ballads have long cried out for new age or contemporary jazz interpretations, and it's wonderful to see Kern introduce the romance of his collection this way, and with such an non-obvious choice. With Kern, the message is pretty simple — beautiful, spiritual melodies that relax and inspire. Not overly challenging but absolutely beautiful.

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

The title of pianist and composer Kevin Kern's third album is an apt one, for the opening notes of "Le Jardin," the first track on Summer Daydreams, would not be out of place accompanying the opening credits of a Merchant-Ivory film. Not that this is a bad thing. Kern's music has a kind of sensitive grace and his arrangements allow plenty of room for violin (Jeremy Cohen), cello (Thalia Moore), Luis Baez (clarinet), and Bob Ward (French horn). Much of the music on Summer Daydreams is in this vein: slow, sweet, and soothing. There are a few more adventurous exceptions, notably "Pan's Return" (the opening of which rather reminds one of the beginning of the movie Braveheart) and "Dance of the Dragonfly," a lilting piano piece that is the most evocative on the recording. --Genevieve Williams

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Beyond the Sundial, featured pieces for legendary oboist Paul McCandless of the group Oregon. "I had admired Paul's work for well over twenty years. Getting the chance to write music specifically for the greatest oboist in the world was a singular thrill that I will never forget."

Kevin Kern was a child prodigy playing the piano at the astounding age of eighteen months. He began studying with a private tutor at the age of four. Founding his own group, the Well Tempered Clavichord at age fourteen they made their professional debut. Kevin attended the University Of Michigan's School Of Music and studied with renowned pianist Mischa Kottler.

Kevin received a Master's Degree in Performance and a Bachelor of Music Degree from the New England Conservatory Of Music. After leaving school he played the local scene of Boston for ten years. In 1990, Kevin moved to San Francisco and began playing live gigs. The more he played, the larger his audience grew. Already an accomplished musician, Kevin was discovered in 1995 by Terence Yallop, the founder of Real Music label. He was at the time playing piano in a local San Francisco hotel. After signing Kevin to the label, he immediately started working on his first album. With an incredible flair for composition, the songs seemed to come from him effortlessly. 1996 was the beginning of his record career with the release of In the Enchanted Garden. It was an instant hit among the new age, jazz, and classical audience. It also became a critic's favorite. His second release, Beyond the Sundial, takes the music to another level. Kevin's influences run right across the board. His music is melodic and truly inspiring. With the release of Summer Daydreams, in 1998, Kevin returns to the scene with more incredible compositions, adding violin and cello to the arrangements; In My Life followed in 1999 and Embracing the Wind was issued in early 2001. Kevin Kern is a definite mainstay in the world of music.

Beginning with his phenomenally successful debut album, In the Enchanted Garden, in 1996, which appeared on the Billboard charts for 26 weeks, Kevin has developed his own unique musical voice. At the center of this style, is a process that has come to be known as "sound-painting."



"Though my vision lacks the crisp detail that others may have, I have learned to describe what I see through my music", says Kevin. "It is something that has always come naturally to me, and I've done it all my life. Whether describing a baseball game to my father when I was a child or playing a night filled with stars (as on The Winding Path), it's all part of that special relationship I feel with the piano."

Yanni (born Yiannis Hrysomallis, classical transcription Chrysomallis), Greek: Γιάννης Χρυσομάλλης, on November 14, 1954 in Kalamata, Greece) is a self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer. Yanni left his homeland at the age of 18 to attend the University of Minnesota. After receiving a B.A. in psychology, he would instead seek a life in music though he had no formal training and could not read a note. After playing keyboards in local rock bands such as Chameleon, he moved to California in pursuit of movie soundtrack work. In 1987, he put together a small band which included long-time bandmate Charlie Adams, and John Tesh, and began touring to promote his earliest instrumental albums, Keys to Imagination, Out of Silence, and Chameleon Days. He later earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time. His breakthrough success came with the release of Yanni Live at the Acropolis, a concert filmed on September 25, 1993 at the Herod Atticus Theater in Athens, Greece, deemed to be the second best-selling music video of all time.[1] A composition from this release, "Acroyali/Standing in Motion" has been found to have the "Mozart Effect".[2] Yanni has since performed live in concert before in excess of two million people in more than 20 countries around the world. His North American concert tours in 1995, 1998 and 2003-5 each finished in the Top 10 concert tours of the year. He has accumulated more than 35 platinum and gold albums globally, with sales totaling over 20 million copies.[1] Considered to be one of the top fundraisers of all time for public television, he has appeared on several major PBS Pledge TV Specials such as A Decade Of Excellence, including segments from Live At The Acropolis, Tribute, and Live At Royal Albert Hall, London. Yanni's compositions have been included in all Olympic Games television broadcasts since 1988,[1] and his music has been used extensively in television and televised sporting events. In 1997, he became one of the few performers allowed to perform at the Taj Mahal, India. His most recent live concert film, Yanni Live! The Concert Event, was released in 2006. ~~ Wikipedia

Mrvica was born in Šibenik, a town on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. He started taking up piano lessons at the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1990, both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence, Mrvica entered in, and won, his first major competition in Zagreb in 1993.

Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest and during this year he won first prize at the Nicolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000, he moved to Paris to study with Igor Lazko and gained first prize in the Pontoise Piano Competition in 2001.

When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD, Gestures, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia, and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin award ceremony, an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.

International appeal

Soon after this launch Mrvica was spotted by the musician, author and manager Tonči Huljić, who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet, Bond, and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had, by chance, been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. EMI Classics was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was The Piano Player, which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel and Chopin. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China, Platinum in Taiwan and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong. It was also in the number 1 slot in the HMV international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.

Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and MTV awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as American Express, who sponsored him in Singapore, and automobile giants Chevrolet and BMW, for whom he performed at their respective Colombian and Malaysian car launches.

The world premiere performance of Maksim at the Roundhouse in London. The tracklist includes: 'The Flight Of The Bumble-Bee', 'Chopin: Nocturne In D Flat Major', 'Chopin: Etude In C Minor and 'Handel: Sarabande'.

Mrvica was born in Šibenik, a town on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. He started taking up piano lessons at the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert performance of Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C major. When war broke out in 1990, both Mrvica and his professor were determined that this would not disrupt his music studies. In spite of the war and surrounding turbulence, Mrvica entered in, and won, his first major competition in Zagreb in 1993.

Mrvica went on to study at the Music Academy in Zagreb where he spent five years under Professor Vladimir Krpan, who himself was a pupil of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. He then spent a year at the Franz Liszt Conservatoire in Budapest and during this year he won first prize at the Nicolai Rubinstein International Piano Competition. In 2000, he moved to Paris to study with Igor Lazko and gained first prize in the Pontoise Piano Competition in 2001.

When he returned to Croatia he found himself to be the focus of intense media interest and he made frequent television appearances as well as giving a great number of interviews. He soon found himself recording his first CD, Gestures, an album of contemporary Croatian piano pieces. Gestures became one of the fastest-selling classical recordings to be released in Croatia, and Mrvica was even invited to officiate the Porin award ceremony, an honour not usually granted to a classical artist.

International appeal

Soon after this launch Mrvica was spotted by the musician, author and manager Tonči Huljić, who composed several tracks for the crossover string quartet, Bond, and it was Tonči who put Mrvica in touch with British impresario Mel Bush. Mel had, by chance, been looking for a new pianist for some time and he recognised Maksim's potential to appeal to a wide range of audiences. EMI Classics was also interested in Mrvica and soon a new album was underway. This album was The Piano Player, which gave a new spin to compositions by Handel and Chopin. Since its release in 2003 it has been very successful, particularly in Asia, where it has achieved Gold status in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and China, Platinum in Taiwan and Croatia and Double Platinum in Hong Kong. It was also in the number 1 slot in the HMV international pop chart in Hong Kong for twelve consecutive weeks.

Mrvica has performed in a couple of international beauty pageants and MTV awards. His image and charisma also attracted the interest of global brands such as American Express, who sponsored him in Singapore, and automobile giants Chevrolet and BMW, for whom he performed at their respective Colombian and Malaysian car launches.