Giving
Creating Opportunities for the Talent of Tomorrow: Flavio Varani
MSM alumnus Flavio Varani (BM ’68, MM ’70) showed his gratitude and provided for generations of students through a generous gift in his estate plan.
Alumnus Flavio Varani (BM ’68, MM ’70), a member of the School’s Galaxy Society, has enjoyed a seven-decade career as a piano soloist. Growing up in Brazil, he was recognized for his musical talent at a young age and began performing as a child. After studying in France on scholarship and winning first prize at the Chopin International Competition of Majorca, he headed for further studies in New York, with many international concerts already to his credit.
He feels indebted to the influence of the great Artur Balsam, with whom he did his graduate work at Manhattan School of Music, for expanding his capabilities to be the active, international musician he is today. Additionally, Paul Jacobs, pianist of the New York Philharmonic, inspired in Varani a deeper respect and love for contemporary music. “Jacobs encouraged me to take hold of modern idioms and to learn all of Debussy’s etudes,” he explains. Varani was featured with the School’s orchestra in Ravel’s Concerto in G Major under the baton of Maestro Anton Coppola (BM ’63, MM ’64, HonDMA ’10) and was honored with the Harold Bauer Award at the completion of his Master’s program.
His graduation from MSM was a springboard to performances at major venues and festivals throughout the world and appearances with such conductors as Sir Neville Marriner, Semyon Bychkov, Eduard Perrone, and Lukas Foss. A 1984 review in the New York Times lauded Varani’s “polished technique, and an ability to create attractive, glittering sonorities. The highlight was clearly a traversal of Poulenc’s Nocturnes, which were marked by graceful clarity. A virtuosic rendition of Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 3 was…full of fire and flash.”
Also a dedicated teacher, Varani became a U.S. citizen and settled for a time in Michigan, where he headed the piano department in residence at Oakland University, located near Detroit. There he was named Musician of the Year by Michigan’s Foundation for the Arts and Outstanding Classical Instrumentalist by the Detroit Music Foundation. Other accolades include receiving a gold medal in honor of his years performing as a Steinway Artist and being knighted at the Institute de France in 2012 as a Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Varani’s interpretations of works by Heitor Villa-Lobos and Paul Paray, as well as by Debussy and Ravel, are commercially available on recordings featuring the composers’ works. In 2012, the advice of his former MSM teacher, Paul Jacobs, came to fruition when Varani recorded the complete Études of Debussy in Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studios.
He now resides in a quiet and picturesque city in South Carolina when not touring internationally as a soloist and master class artist. Varani often reflects on his time growing up in Sao Paulo and the many young musicians he encounters there when he visits: “I realize how many wonderful talents have no opportunity to develop, how studying at a school like MSM, or with teachers like I had, is not possible.”
Varani has reconnected with his alma mater, becoming a member of the International Advisory Board, as well as making annual philanthropic gifts. “I want to say thank you for all the wonderful teachers I have had by giving back with some of the money I have made from my career and my investments,” he shares. He has also made a generous irrevocable planned gift to establish an endowed piano scholarship, which enrolled him as a member of the Galaxy Society. “I have grown to understand the vital needs of the institution for alumni donor support,” he explains. “I hope others will be inspired to help promote understanding and peaceful communication in the world through music and through the young musicians of the future.”
Create your own legacy at Manhattan School of Music by including a gift designation in your will or other estate plan. Contact Susan Madden at 917-493-4115 or smadden@msmnyc.edu to learn more about how to create a legacy that meets your financial needs and charitable goals.
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