Grammy-winning classical pianist John Browning died Sunday Jan. 26 of heart failure at his home in Sister Bay, Wis. He was 69.
Denver native and son to musical parents studied piano at age 5 and appeared as a soloist with the Denver Symphony at 10. Ater his family moved to L.A., he studied at Occidental College then at Juilliard, where he eventually was in the same class as Van Cliburn. He won the Leventritt Competition in 1955 (Cliburn won in '54), made his pro orchestra debut with the New York Philharmonic in 1956 and won a silver medal in the Queen Elisabeth Intl. Music Competition in Brussels that same year.
He premiered Samuel Barber's Pulitzer Prize-winning Piano Concerto, written for him, in 1962 as part of the opening of the Lincoln Center. His second recording of the work in 1991 won a Grammy, and he won a second one two years later for a disc of Barber's solo works.
For years, he gave about 100 concerts a season and was known for his performances' reserve and elegance.
His last performance was at the United States Supreme Court in May.
He is survived by a sister, two nephews and a niece.
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