Enrique Graf was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and is now an American citizen. He started studying piano at the age of four with his mother. After winning all of the national competitions in Uruguay, he came to the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University to study with Leon Fleisher on a full scholarship from the Organization of American States and Peabody.
In 1977 he won First Prize in the National Ensemble Piano Competition, the following year Mr. Graf was the First Prize winner in the William Kapell International Piano Competition and in 1981 he won the East and West International Competition in New York City.
Graf has given recitals all over the world and has been featured as soloist with such orchestras as the Baltimore, Indianapolis, New Jersey, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Florida, West Virginia, Illinois, Flagstaff, Augusta, Greenville, Charleston, New York City and Jupiter Symphonies, the Symphony of the Americas, the National Chamber Orchestra, the Illinois Chamber Orchestra, the American Chamber Orchestra, the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, Sinfonia da Camara, Florida Virtuosi Orchestra, the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Montevideo Philharmonic, the Lviv Philharmonic, the Moscow Philharmonic, the Janacek Philharmonic in the Czech Republic, and the National Orchestras of Ukraine, Chile, Uruguay, Peru and Colombia.
He has appeared at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Krannert Center, Carnegie Recital Hall, the Cultural Center of Manila, Teatro Opera in Buenos Aires, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Florida, South Bay Center for the Arts in Los Angeles, the Chautauqua Festival, Young Keyboard Artists International Festival in Ann Arbor, the San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival in Mexico, the University of Maryland International Piano Festival, Spoleto International Piano Festival in Italy, “Contrasts” Festival in Lviv, Kiev Music Fest in the Ukraine and the University of Houston International Piano Festival.
As a chamber musician he has toured with Cuarteto
Latinoamericano, the Baltimore Wind Ensemble, the American Chamber
Players, the Prague Wind Quintet, the Ives Quartet, violinists Andres
Cardenes and Lee Chin Siow, and the Apollo String Quartet.
An all Poulenc CD with the Charleston Symphony was a pick of the month by the Sunday London Times and was awarded five stars in Classic CD. His debut recording Enrique Graf plays Bach was called "An end to the discussion of whether or not Bach should be played on the piano" by Paul Hume of the Washington Post. Other recordings of Mozart Sonatas, the Liszt Sonata, the Grieg Concerto, Edward Hart’s Tidal Concerto, Gershwin’s Concerto in F and two Beethoven Concertos have received such praise as "ideal performances" (Fanfare).
He received the Immigrant Achievement Award from the American Immigration Law Foundation in Washington, DC. Tenor Placido Domingo, violinist Midori and Graf are the only three classical musicians to have received this honor.
Enrique Graf has an expressive range that is known for its versatility. As comfortable and convincing with the depth of Beethoven as with the color and warmth in the music of the Romantics like Chopin and Liszt, he also makes Bach, Debussy, and Albeniz come alive. He has introduced many audiences to the music of contemporary composers as Lee Hoiby, John Pozdro, Eduardo Gilardoni, Hector Tosar and Edward Hart.
He is one of a handful of pianists in the world who concertizes internationally and is one of the most sought-after, and effective teachers. From Peabody to Carnegie Mellon to the College of Charleston - where he has created an outstanding piano program - his students are prize winners. His deep interest in teaching has taken him to universities and conservatories in the United States, South America, Europe and South East Asia to present master classes.