Lars Roos

The United States has won a prominent concert pianist in LARS ROOS, who now makes his home in Los Angeles. He was born in Dalecarlia, Sweden which through the centuries was the very cradle of Swedish folk music. His mother played piano and his father was a Master Fiddler, who founded the local folk music association in his hometown.

By the age of four, LARS was playing Christmas carols by ear. At five, he made his debut at the local church. He even picked up the accordion and won first prize at the age of fourteen. Nine years of piano and organ lessons led to an organist examination at the University of Uppsala at the tender age of sixteen. Playing all the traditions of life; High Masses, weddings, christenings and burials, as well as the dance music of the day, afforded LARS the opportunity to continue the classical studies.

Upon graduating Sweden’s Royal Academy of Music in piano and musical theory, LARS went on to get a diploma as a piano soloist. After only a first rehearsal of Liszt in E flat Major, his professor HERBERT BLOMSTEDT, who later heading the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, remarked on how brilliantly LARS played. Winning a scholarship offered LARS the chance to go to New York, where he perfected graduate studies for Julliard School of Music’s SASCHA GORODNITZKI, as well as the legendary virtuoso JORGE BOLET in London.

Concerts followed in Sweden what included one of the initial National Concert Tours; New York recitals included Town Hall, Little Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall and Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center.

When world-renowned soprano BIRGIT NILSSON discovered LARS ROOS, he could not decline her request for accompanist, and they began a tour of Europe, the Middle and Far East, a collaboration that would lst eleven years. The elite of Swedish opera stars followed; including ELISABETH SÖDERSTRÖM, NIVOLAI GEDDA, INGVAR WIXELL, HÅKAN HAGEGÅRD, ROLF BJÖRLING, just to name a few.

LARS ROOS has worked with renownd conductors such as CHARLED DUTOIT, SIMON RATTLE, JAMES DE PRIEST, SIXTEN EHRLING and ESA PEKKA SALONEN.

In Scandinavia, LARS ROOS popularity has evolved to a household name due to his numerous radio concerts and one hundred and sixty live television performances. From Chopin, Beethoven and Mozart to the Nordic Masters; Grieg, Sibelius, Nielsen, some seventy best selling recordings have been released on the Philips, Bluebell of Sweden and Phonogram Japan labels. While LARS ROOS possesses a special affinity for the Romantic repertoire, his programs range over the entire spectrum of keyboard music.

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