Peter de Jager was born in South Africa on December 1st, treatment 1989, his family relocating to Australia in 1992. Soon after, Peter lived in Cooma with his mother Helen, his father John, and his sister Ruth until he was 7 years old.

Helen de Jager taught piano with us at Cooma School of Music. Peter and Ruth were great mates with our children Leon and Hannah. They all went to Cooma North Primary School together.

It was obvious from a very early age that Peter was a gifted child with a remarkable musical talent. He was totally in love with the piano.

In 1997, the de Jager family moved from Cooma to pursue educational and career opportunities. After moving to Melbourne, Peter studied piano for five years with Nehama Patkin, then two years with Professor Stephen McIntyre, with whom he achieved his LMusA in 2003, at 11 years of age.

From 2007, Peter spent two years in the Australian National Academy of Music’s Advanced Performance Program, studying with Rita Reichman. These years brought him into contact with many international visiting artists, and exposed him to many performance opportunities.

In 2007 Peter participated in the Lev Vlassenko Piano competition, winning the inaugural Enid Lane Memorial Prize for best performance of a work by Mozart. He has twice been finalist in the Academy’s internal concerto competition, on the second occasion performing Ravel’s Concerto for the Left Hand with Orchestra Victoria.

Today, Peter is 21 and has already achieved so much in music. He is not only an outstanding pianist but he is also a dedicated composer, with a great interest in early music. Currently, he is undertaking a Bachelor of Music in harpsichord and composition, studying with Ann Morgan at the University of Melbourne.

Here’s some photos from the Chopin Competition:

(Click on thumbnails for larger images)

Click here for more information about the Australian International Chopin Piano Competition