Gina Bachauer
Greek pianist
Who was Gina Bachauer?
Gina Bachauer (Greek: Τζίνα Μπαχάουερ; 21 May 1913 – 22 August 1976) was a Greek classical pianist who toured extensively in the United States and Europe. She received an honorary doctorate from the University of Utah. Gina Bachauer was born in Athens, Greece in a Jewish family. Interested in piano at a young age, Bachauer graduated from the Athens Conservatory and studied under Alfred Cortot and Sergei Rachmaninoff. She played hundreds of concerts for the Allied troops in the Middle East during World War II while she lived in Egypt. She spent a lot of time touring the United States and Europe, giving over 100 concerts each year. Bachauer also recorded extensively, both as a soloist and with orchestras. During her career she was called the "queen of pianists". In her personal life, Bachauer married music conductor Alec Sherman, who became her manager.
She died at the age of 63 at the Athens Festival.
Historical significance
She is best known for playing Romantic piano concertos. The Gina Bachauer International Piano Foundation was named in honor of her contributions to the musical world.