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The Australian pianist, Scott Davie, was born in Orange, New South Wales, but moved to Sydney at a young age. He was a student at the Conservatorium High School, where he won numerous awards and prizes. He later studied as an undergraduate student at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, before relocating to London, studying at the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Davie completed his undergraduate degree at Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he later completed both Masters and a PhD, focusing on melodic language of Sergei Rachmaninov. His teachers include Gerard Willems, Leslie Howard and Geoffrey Parsons.
In 2003, while researching S. Rachmaninov material at the Library of Congress, Scott Davie discovered a two-page sketch of a S. Rachmaninov piano piece. While he was able to make a pencil copy, it wasn't until later he realized that the sketch was complete. Davie was given permission to make use of the piece by the composer's great-grand-daughter, Natalie Wanamaker Javier, while attending the 2006 International Rachmaninoff Conference in Amsterdam. The piece was recorded and released by ABC Classics on his “Pictures from an Exhibition” CD. Since then the piece has been recorded by Vladimir Ashkenazy and released by Decca.
Scott Davie is known to audiences as both a soloist and chamber musician. He has given concerts throughout Australia, and his performances and recordings have been broadcast on radio and television. Davie, who specializes in the music of S. Rachmaninov, has performed the composer’s works in Europe, where he has also given lectures and interviews. He has released two discs on ABC Classics featuring the composer's music. In late November 2012, he gave the Australian premiere performances of the original version of S. Rachmaninov's 4th Piano Concerto (1926) with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Vladimir Ashkenazy, to capacity audiences at the Sydney Opera House.
In 2005, Scott Davie collaborated with Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon and Sydney Dance Company on Grand, a full-length choreographed piano recital with the pianist performing live on stage. Over 80 performances were given throughout Australia, and the production also featured at the Shanghai International Arts Festival in 2006 and toured the USA in 2007.
For over a decade, Scott Davie has developed a focus on Russian music, and has visited that country for research a number of times. He currently teaches piano at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
His first solo CD, “Lilacs”, was released by ABC Classics in 2002. A CD of the music from “Grand” was released on the Melba label in 2005, while “Pictures from an Exhibition”, featuring the First Piano Sonata of S. Rachmaninov and a short piano piece newly discovered in the archives of the Library of Congress, Washington D.C., was released by ABC Classics in 2006. A CD of early Australian violin and piano music, recorded with violinist Asmira Woodward-Page, appeared on the Artworks label in 2000. |
