He was born in
Belgrade,
Serbia, then part of
Yugoslavia, to a Croatian father and a Serbian mother.......
......
Pogorelić won the
Casagrande Competition in
Terni, Italy in 1978 and the
Montreal International Musical Competition in 1980.
However he became famous for the prize he didn't win. In 1980 he entered the
International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw and was eliminated in the third round. One of the adjudicators,
Martha Argerich, proclaimed him a genius and left the jury in protest.....
........
In 1994 he helped to provide medical support for the people of
Sarajevo by setting up a foundation that organized charity concerts.
He has helped to raise money for the rebuilding of Sarajevo, the Red Cross and the fight against illnesses such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. In 1988 he was named an Ambassador of Goodwill by UNESCO, the first classical pianist ever so appointed.