David Lively, born on June 27, 1953, in Ironton, Ohio, is a French classical pianist of American origin. He began his career at 14 performing Aram Khatchatourian's piano concerto with the Saint-Louis Symphony Orchestra. Lively studied under Jules Gentil and Claudio Arrau, gaining recognition through competitions like the Long-Thibaud-Crespin Competition in 1970 and the International Geneva Competition in 1971. He won the special prize for contemporary music at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 1974 and received the Dino Ciani Prize from La Scala in Milan in 1980. Lively has released albums including Piano Variations, Sonata, Fantasy (1988) and Nocturnes (1990). He also became known for his interpretations of works by Elliott Carter and Aaron Copland, as well as his advocacy for lesser-known concertos.
