Musical Career
International attention came to Mr. Brott in 1973 when he won 2nd Prize in the Munich International Cello Competition. His concert tours have taken him to four continents and numerous festivals including Marlboro, Sitka, Santa Barbara, Banff, Festival of the Sound, where he was Artistic Director in 1991, and Toronto. He is a sought after member of international juries including the Evian International String Quartet Competition (1993), the CBC Radio National Competition for Young Performers (1997), the Munich International ARD Cello Competition (1998), and the Munich International ARD String Quartet Competition (1996, 2008).
Chamber music being his calling, Denis Brott spent eight years in the Orford String Quartet during which time he recorded 25 chamber music discs. Especially acclaimed were the recordings of the complete string quartets of Beethoven, which won the Grand Prix du Disque Award (1988) and two Juno Awards (1985, 1987) for Best Chamber Ensemble Classical Recording. In 1986 the Orford String Quartet was named Ensemble of the Year by the Canadian Music Council. Denis has appeared as guest with numerous ensembles including the Emerson, Tokyo and St. Lawrence String Quartets.
His many solo recordings include the three Brahms Sonatas for cello and piano and Homage to Piatigorsky, perhaps his best known recording. It received this accolade from Yo-Yo Ma: "His playing throughout is exemplary, full of the rich sound and technical wizardry the master exemplified. I think Piatigorsky would be proud."
Recognized for his excellence and contribution to culture, Denis Brott was honoured to receive the Great Montrealer Award for Culture. The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal selected Denis as one of four Great Montrealers in 2004 who have marked the history of Montreal and have distinguished themselves in each of the following sectors: economic, cultural, social and scientific.
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