William Kapell (September 20, 1922 – October 29, 1953) was an American pianist.
Kapell was born in New York City. His father was of Spanish-Russian Jewish ancestry and his mother of Polish descent. There he studied with Dorothea Anderson La Follette, then with Olga Samaroff in Philadelphia and at the Juilliard School.
Kapell won his first competition at the age of ten. The prize was a turkey dinner with the pianist José Iturbi. In 1941, he won th...
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William Kapell (September 20, 1922 – October 29, 1953) was an American pianist.
Kapell was born in New York City. His father was of Spanish-Russian Jewish ancestry and his mother of Polish descent. There he studied with Dorothea Anderson La Follette, then with Olga Samaroff in Philadelphia and at the Juilliard School.
Kapell won his first competition at the age of ten. The prize was a turkey dinner with the pianist José Iturbi. In 1941, he won the Philadelphia Orchestra's youth competition and the Naumburg Award. The following year, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation sponsored the 19 year old pianist's New York début which brought him The Town Hall Award for the year's outstanding concert by a musician under 30. He was immediately signed to an exclusive recording contract with RCA.
Kapell had achieved fame while in his early twenties, most especially by his performances of Khachaturian's Piano Concerto in D flat, his world premiere recording of which was an enormous hit. Eventually, he...
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