Jason Kouchak

Jason Kouchak

Abbey Road
Background information
Genres Classical, chanson, new age
Occupation(s) pianist, singer, songwriter, composer
Instruments piano, vocals, violin
Years active 1990–present
Website www.jasonkouchak.com

Jason Kouchak is a pianist, composer and singer-songwriter whose works, interests, public contributions and charitable associations span the world including the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1]

Early life

Jason Mariano Kouchak was born in Lyon, France. He was educated at Westminster School and studied classical piano at the Royal College of Music and Edinburgh University. He is a descendant of Alexander Kolchak, the Russian naval commander.

Performing and recording career

Jason Kouchak has recorded five albums. Two of which were recorded at Abbey Road Studios. He has appeared on British Television (BBC) and the Japanese Broadcasting company (NHK) performing his own musical compositions. He has toured globally as a classical pianist, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan.

He has performed at the Royal Festival Hall (London), Salle Pleyel (Paris), and the Mariinsky Theatre (St. Petersburg) with recitals at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Other performances include "The Moon represents my Heart" arranged for Julian Lloyd Webber & Jiaxin Cheng at the Chelsea Arts Club celebrating Lloyd Webber's 60th Birthday gala concert and Chopin's bicentennial Guildhall Concert with singer and actress Elaine Paige in 2010.

He has also sung in cabaret performances at the Café de Paris and the Café Royal.

Jason performed at the Galle Literary Festival 2012 with Tom Stoppard and in the same year gave a piano recital at the opening of the London Chess Classic.[2] In 2012 he became the Director of Music for the 20th anniversary of the French Film Festival UK in London and Edinburgh, performing on Chopin's anniversary at the British Embassy in Paris.[3]

Select appearances

In 1990 he was a guest artist at Princess Margaret's 60th Birthday Celebration at the Ritz Hotel and appeared as guest classical pianist at Zeffirelli's film premiere of Hamlet in the same year.

Kouchak performed his interpretation of "Sakura" for Emperor Akihito at London's Victoria and Albert Museum in 1998. He also performed this at the Kobe earthquake charity event in 1995. This piece was recorded with Julian Lloyd Webber on his album Cello Moods and presented by Olympic ice skater Yuka Sato in 1999.

In 2011 and 2013 Kouchak performed the Russian song "Dark Is the Night [4]

He performed Scheherazade at the official opening ceremony for the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in March 2015[5][6]and composed the Festival's official 2016 theme song.[7]

Public contributions

Kouchak's contributions include the launching of two Children's Giant Chess Sets[8] at Holland Park,London with Stuart Conquest in 2010 and in The Meadows (park) Edinburgh in 2013[9] and John Tenniel's Alice in Wonderland chess set.[10] He also composed the official chess charity theme song "Moving Forward" for CSC.[11][12]

Kouchak also founded the Tsubasa Children's Choir in 2011 which opened the Matsuri Festival and performed Jupiter from Holst's Planets suite in the Queen's Jubilee year 2012 at Trafalgar Square, London. In 2016 his chess and ballet musical work was performed at the British Museum [13] and in New York [14] celebrating the role of women as Queens in chess.

Discography

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kouchak, Jason. "Comme d'Habitude". j. kouchak. Retrieved 25 May 2011.
  2. ↑ "London Chess Classic 2012". londonchessclassic.com. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Media Release: French Film Festival celebrates 20 glorious years". Retrieved 4 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "London Gala concert in memory of the Arctic Convoys 1941-1945". Dark Night. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  5. ↑ "Love for Word". Love for Word-Salt n Peppa Middle East. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  6. ↑ "Off to a flying start: Dubai's literary feast". VISION. Retrieved 11 March 2015.
  7. ↑ "Line up of authors for Emirates Festival of Literature revealed;News". SOCIETY. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Making mates on giant chessboard in Holland Park | News". Thisislondon.co.uk. 1 November 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Giant chess board bid to fight child obesity | News". news.scotsman.com. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "£350,000 Alice chessboard and a white rabbit at Fortnum's | News". news.standard.co.uk. 24 April 2013. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  11. ↑ "Smart move young man | News". thesundaytimes.co.uk. 30 March 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "CSC Chess in Schools and Communities". chessinschools.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Chess & Ballet at the British Museum". chessdom.com. 29 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Queen's Journey". yonkers.com. 30 September 2016. Retrieved 30 October 2016.

External links

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