Artist
Trudelies Leonhardt
Trudelies Leonhardt (Laren (NH), 30 May 1931) is a Dutch pianist.
Trudelies Leonhardt was born into a family where music played a major role. Her brother is harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt. At the age of four, she began playing piano under the guidance of Johannes Röntgen. In an interview, she recounts that Röntgen always sang instead of speaking. Each of the children had to play piano for an hour a day under the guidance of their mother, while the neighbor children played outside. Already in her youth, she developed a great love for Franz Schubert and felt very happy when playing his music. She finds particularly beautiful the long lines in his music, which also appear in the music of Beethoven.
She then studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Nelly Wagenaar, and obtained her soloist diploma cum laude.
Leonhardt won the Elizabeth Evertsprijs and a prize from the Vrienden van het Concertgebouw, intended for promising young musicians. After her time with the distinguished Nelly Wagenaar, she needed more freedom and went to Paris, where she continued her studies with Yves Nat. He was so kind to her that she felt she was not making progress. She then went to study with Marguerite Long, who was known for her precise playing. She proved to be very critical toward her students. Leonhardt asked her to give private lessons and learned to play perfectly. After that, she needed years to free herself from that.
Trudelies Leonhardt was born into a family where music played a major role. Her brother is harpsichordist Gustav Leonhardt. At the age of four, she began playing piano under the guidance of Johannes Röntgen. In an interview, she recounts that Röntgen always sang instead of speaking. Each of the children had to play piano for an hour a day under the guidance of their mother, while the neighbor children played outside. Already in her youth, she developed a great love for Franz Schubert and felt very happy when playing his music. She finds particularly beautiful the long lines in his music, which also appear in the music of Beethoven.
She then studied at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Nelly Wagenaar, and obtained her soloist diploma cum laude.
Leonhardt won the Elizabeth Evertsprijs and a prize from the Vrienden van het Concertgebouw, intended for promising young musicians. After her time with the distinguished Nelly Wagenaar, she needed more freedom and went to Paris, where she continued her studies with Yves Nat. He was so kind to her that she felt she was not making progress. She then went to study with Marguerite Long, who was known for her precise playing. She proved to be very critical toward her students. Leonhardt asked her to give private lessons and learned to play perfectly. After that, she needed years to free herself from that.
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