Anton Nel is the kind of prodigy that, in a just world, great musical epics would be written about. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, he made his concert debut at the age of 12 with Beethoven's "C Major Concerto" – and that was after only two years of lessons. Since then, he's tickled the ivories in big-name classical concert halls across the world: Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Carnegie in New York (where he once won the Naumburg International Piano competition). The list goes on and on, and understandably so; his interpretations of Beethoven conjure up sublime spirits like few others can. This Steinway savant was first appointed to the UT-Austin faculty at age 23, and today is the chairman of Keyboard Studies. If you haven't heard his music yet (gasp!), we recommend giving Saint-Saens: Piano Works a listen. Magnifique.
