Michael Houstoun

Michael James Houstoun, born on October 20, 1952, in Timaru, New Zealand, is a renowned concert pianist. His early education took place at Claremont Primary School and Timaru Boys' High School, where he began piano lessons with Sister Mary Eulalie at age five and later studied under Maurice Till from age 15.

Houstoun's career highlights include winning every major New Zealand piano competition as a teenager and competing in three prestigious international competitions: the Van Cliburn (1973, third place), Leeds (1975, fourth place), and Tchaikovsky (1982, sixth place). He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and London from 1974 to 1981. Returning to New Zealand in 1981, he settled in Feilding by 2012.

Houstoun has performed with New Zealand's leading music ensembles, delivered solo recitals, and made recordings. At age 40, he performed and recorded the complete Beethoven sonata cycle and collaborated on a television documentary about Franz Liszt. In 1987, he founded the Kerikeri competition, which became the Kerikeri International Piano Competition in 2012.

Awards include the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal and an honorary doctorate from Massey University in 1999. Houstoun overcame focal hand dystonia through physiotherapy, acupuncture, splints, rubber bands, and sensory retraining, including learning braille. A documentary on his condition was released in 2001. After a five-year hiatus, he resumed solo performances.

In the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours, Houstoun was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He repeated his Beethoven sonata cycle performance in 2013.