Kemal Gekić (born February 16, 1962) is a Croatian-born American concert pianist and Professor of Piano Performance at Florida International University. Born in Split, Croatia (then Yugoslavia), Gekić began playing piano at age one and a half, receiving early training from his aunt, Lorenza Baturina. At 16, he entered the Art Academy of the University of Novi Sad, earning a bachelor's degree in 1982. Gekić received international attention following the 1985 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, where he received a special prize for best sonata performance. In 1988, he signed an exclusive contract with JVC Victor, resulting in albums featuring Mozart, Chopin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff. His discography includes Études d’Exécution Transcendante (1997) and Rossini / Liszt Transcriptions, which received the Rosette Award of the Penguin Guide to Classical Recordings. Since 1999, Gekić has been based in Miami, Florida, performing with orchestras such as the Warsaw Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic of London.
