Gina Bachauer

Who was Gina Bachauer?

Gina Bachauer, was a Greek classical pianist who toured extensively in the United States and Europe.

Gina Bachauer was born in Athens, Greece. She gave her first recital in Athens at the age of eight. Her first concert with an orchestra was in 1932, when she was 19 years old. She recorded for the HMV, RCA Victor and Mercury labels. Before she died in 1976, she gave hundreds of concerts — including 630 for the Allied troops in the Middle East during World War II. Gina Bachauer was also the piano teacher of Princess Irene.

Bachauer was a close friend of Maurice Abravanel and often appeared with the Utah Symphony Orchestra.

The Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition was established in 1976 in her honour. It attracts young pianists from all over the world to Salt Lake City each year. Today the house in which Bachauer lived in the Athens suburb of Halandri still stands; neighbours with fond memories of the pianist take care of the grounds. The house is visited by numerous fans from around the world, who feed the stray cats just as "The Queen Of Pianists" did when she was alive.

In 1981 the Greek Post honored Bachauer by issuing a stamp in her honour.