Thomas Lorango, American pianist, was born on June 8, 1959, in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. He died of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

on December 30, 1992 in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Life

Lorango studied piano at the

Curtis Institute of Music The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...

, where his teachers included Leon Fleischer, Mieczyslaw Horszowski and

Seymour Lipkin Seymour Lipkin (May 14, 1927 – November 16, 2015) was an American concert pianist, conductor, and educator. Early life and piano career Lipkin was born in Detroit. At age 11, he entered the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with Davi ...

. He won prizes including the Leventritt Foundation Award, a Young Recitalist's Fellowship Grant from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, the first piano prize at the 1979 G.B. Dealy Awards Competition and the 1985 First Prize in the Liederkranz Foundation Competition. Lorango made his debut at age 16 performing

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

's '' Piano Concerto No. 1'' with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

. He again performed with that orchestra two years later as soloist in the '' Piano Concerto No. 3'' of

Béla Bartók Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...

. He also performed with the

Dallas Symphony The Dallas Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Dallas, Texas. Its principal performing venue is the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District of downtown Dallas. History The orchestra traces its origins to a ...

, the

St. Louis Symphony The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony o ...

and the

Buffalo Philharmonic The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra located in Buffalo, New York led by Music Director JoAnn Falletta. Its primary performing venue is Kleinhans Music Hall, which is a National Historic Landmark. Each season it ...

and gave solo recitals at

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...

, Coolidge Auditorium at the US

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

, and other halls in the United States and Europe. A participant in the

Marlboro Music Festival The Marlboro Music School and Festival is a retreat for advanced classical training and musicianship held for seven weeks each summer in Marlboro, Vermont, in the United States. Public performances are held each weekend while the school is in ses ...

, Lorango toured with Music from Marlboro.

Recordings

Lorango appeared on three compact disc recordings issued by the

Newport Classic Newport Classic, Ltd, is a record label of classical music, founded by Lawrence Kraman, and is located in Middletown, Rhode Island. In its catalog are recordings of both familiar and unusual works, including ''Casanova's Homecoming'', ''A Waterbir ...

label: NCD 60034, ''

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

: Piano Concerto in A Minor'', performed on an 1871 Streicher

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

with the New Brandenburg Collegium under Anthony Newman (also included nos. 1, 6, 7, 12, and 13 from Schumann's ''Kinderszenen'', op. 15; ''Romance'' in F-Sharp Major, op. 28 no. 2; ''Warum'', no. 3 from ''Phantasiestücke'', Op. 12; and no. 1 from ''Gesänge der Frühe'', Op. 133). According to the label, this recording was the first of the concerto with period instruments. NCD 60108, ''Thomas Lorango: The Debut Album'' (

Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied ye ...

, ''Sonata No. 3 in F minor'', op. 5; Robert Schumann, ''Etudes Symphoniques'', op. 13) NCD 60133, ''

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

: Original Piano Works'' (''Eine Sonata für das Album von Frau M.W.'', ''Grösse-Sonata in A Major'', ''Fantasia in F-Sharp Minor'', ''Albumblatt für Frau Betty Schott'')

Sources

''Who's Who in American Music : Classical'', first edition, edited by Jaques Cattell Press, New York: R. R. Bowker, 1983 (as referenced in the
Musicsack
' ''The New York Times'', obituary, "Thomas Lorango, 33, A Piano Soloist at 16", January 6, 1993. Biographical material included in notes booklet for Newport Classic NCD 60133. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lorango, Thomas American male classical pianists American male pianists 1959 births 1992 deaths 20th-century American classical pianists 20th-century American male musicians