Concert pianist Martha Argerich was born on June 5, 1941, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Argerich was a prodigy who started learning piano when she was three and began performing professionally five years later. She credits Friedrich Gulda, under whom she studied, as one of her biggest influences. 

Argerich has won countless awards. As a teenager, she won first prize at the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition and at the Geneva International Music Competition. As a young adult, she took a three-year hiatus from the piano. When she returned, she won the VII International Chopin Piano Competition, becoming the first, and so far only, South American winner. It was at this point that she gained international acclaim. She is a three-time Grammy winner and in 2012 was voted into Gramophone’s Hall of Fame. Argerich is considered by many one of history’s best pianists.  

Argerich has performed multiple times in Israel, connecting to her Jewish heritage. Starting in December of 2002, some of the world’s best pianists gave concerts to help fund the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. Argerich honored Rubinstein, a proud Polish Jew and renowned twentieth-century classical pianist, by performing in the opening concert on December 7, 2002, in Warsaw, Poland. 

Argerich’s aptitude has also translated to the mastery of languages: she can speak Spanish, French, Italian, German, English, and Portuguese. 

Argerich has three daughters, Lyda, Annie, and Stéphanie. Lyda  is a talented violinist. Stéphanie directed a documentary about her mother, Bloody Daughter (2012), which depicts the mixed feelings of regret and appreciation that came with having a performing artist as a mother.  

Sources: 

“Argerich Review – a Daughter's Honest Portrait of Her Classical-Pianist Mother.” The Guardian, April 30, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/30/argerich-film-review-classical-pianist-music-documentary.  

Lebrecht, Norman. “Martha Argerich Breaks a Rule with the Israel Phil.” Slippedisc, March 24, 2023. https://slippedisc.com/2023/03/martha-argerich-erupts-in-israel/.  

“Martha Argerich.” Encyclopædia Britannica, March 18, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martha-Argerich.  

Shohat, Zipi. “Playing for Keeps.” Haaretz, June 5, 2002. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2002-06-06/ty-article/playing-for-keeps/0000017f-e8ef-dc91-a17f-fcef2d5d0000.