Bruce Vogt

Vogt, Bruce

 Bruce (Paul) Vogt. Pianist, teacher, b Cornwall, Ont, 21 Feb 1950; ARCT 1968, B MUS (Western) 1974, M MUS (Toronto) 1980. His teachers included Damjana Bratuz and Anton Kuerti in Canada, Bela Böszörmenyi-Nagy in the USA, and Guido Agosti, György Sebök, Dario de Roas, Louis Kentner, Fou Ts'Ong, and Alfred Brendel in Europe. The foreign study was assisted by Canada Council grants in 1972, 1973, and 1975 and further grants from the University of Toronto and the University of Victoria. Vogt was active across Canada, the USA, Europe, and Japan as a recitalist, chamber musician, and lecturer. He appeared with the MSO, Quebec Symphony Orchestra, Hamilton Philharmonic, Orchestra London Canada, and Victoria Symphony Orchestra, and many of his performances were broadcast nationally.

Teaching

Vogt taught at Acadia University (1977-8), the University of Toronto (1978-9), Lakehead University, and the University of Western Ontario (1979-80), and in 1980 joined the staff at the University of Victoria, where he became head of the piano department in 1991. He gave workshops, lecture-recitals, master classes, and demonstrations across Canada and in France, Germany, Italy, Bulgaria, and Japan.

Chamber Music; Recordings

As a chamber musician Vogt also collaborated with, among others, Steven Dann (viola), Elissa Poole (flute), Stan Fisher (clarinet), Susan Young (soprano), Christoph Both (cello), and Yumiko Yamamoto (viola) in programs ranging from early music and lieder to jazz. He recorded works by Liszt on two cassettes (1987, 1990, Selwyn-Pullan Studio 500221P-01 and 02). Later recordings further established him as a Liszt specialist. Vogt continued to perform repertoire from baroque through the classical and romantic to contemporary eras, occasionally on period instruments, notably his 2003 release of the music of Schumann on a restored 1864 Erard piano. Vogt also premiered works by Alfred Fisher. In 1999, Vogt and Yamamoto received the Award of Excellence for the best concert of 1998 at the Baroque Hall in Kyoto, Japan.