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I have a question - what is most likely the estimated salaries of the bigger name classical pianists, like Evgeny Kissin, etc? If you could break it down to concert fees and recording contracts, that'd be good too.

At least I am looking for some rough idea of what they make, or if you know any personal examples of concert pianists of today.

I would only guess that they're not paid on the same scale as some of the Acid Rock groups or Country Western singers. :rolleyes:

I would bet that the Rolling Stones or Kenny Chessney makes more for one performance than the classical pianist does in a whole year or even two or three or four, etc.

Kathleen

I think I heard somewhere that Lang Lang makes somewhere between 20 and 30k a concert. I also *think* that in that "Imagine...being a concert pianist" special that he said he performs something like 300 concerts a year. So I guess that works out to somewhere around 7 and 9 million a year, not including endorsements and paid appearances I suppose.

Don't quote me on that, though. Why do you ask, though?

According to the recent profile of Lang Lang in the New Yorker, "In the past several years, Lang has averaged a hundred and twenty-five concerts a year, and he usually gets fifty thousand dollars for a recital. His fee for a private corporate concert can be five times that, or more."

Having read numerous bios on Horowitz, I can firmly state that he was perhaps the most well-paid pianist in history. I the 40's and 50's he would charge $5,000 for private concerts ... He used to charge Byron Janis $100 per lesson, during the 50s I believe ..

His Japan 1983 guaranteed him at least 1 million dollars, since he was making royalties off all the broadcasting and advertising. His lifestyle in general was luxurious. He possessed over his lifetime numerous paintings by the masters!!!

He actually sold most of his art collection in the 50's, after he retired.

^ true .. he was practically broke .. no performances = no $$$ ...

A shame; by all accounts it was an extraordinary collection.

Reportedly, Horowitz's estate at his death was worth approx. $8 million.

I remember listening to a radio show in Los Angeles in the late 1980s discussing the late Jascha Heifetz. Heifetz's estate was valued at approx. $2 million at his death.

I would think that international artists get a different rate in different venues. Lang Lang may get a certain amount for London, Paris and New York, but I'd guess he gets less in places like St. Paul, Minnesota.

Tomasino

I just want to know what happened to his bow tie collection.

Probably tied up in his estate.

Cheers!

"I just want to know what happened to his bow tie collection."

****

Perhaps they, like Horowitz, took a final bow.

I wouldn't want to stick my neck out, but I had understood the collection was knot amongst his belongings.

Considering that he had some pretty valuable violins, I suspect that figure is low.

His Guarneri is on exhibit and occasionally played at the Palace of the Legion of Honor in San Francisco. He left it to that institution.

Wait a moment?!?!? There is money to be made in classical music??

Remember too that if a musician has a recording contract, a nice paycheck is to be had from the record company. But performing is where the really big money is.

Salary and classical pianist should definitely not be put in the same sentence :p .

deleted

I feel your pain. I cannot stand Kenny Chesney or Rascal Flatts. I never listen to that type of rock because I strongly dislike all of it.

Only Horowitz and the Lang Langs of the world can rake in the big bucks for their recitals. I'm not sure, but I'll bet Arthur Rubinstein was pretty well off too.