Pianists
Alice Sara Ott
Age: 37.5
German - Japanese
Ott’s pioneering recital tours redefine classical music for the modern era, making her one of the most influential artists of her generation.
Spotify monthly listeners: 2200000
Ott started piano lessons at the age of four. At age five, she reached the final stage of the youth competition in Munich, playing to a full house in the Hercules Hall.
Famous for: Avante guard performances
Boris Giltburg
Age: 41.6
Israeli from Russia
Spotify monthly listeners: 800000
He began studying piano with his mother at the age of five, having left Russia aged 3
Famous for: Recorded all 32 of Beethoven's piano sonatas in 2020 which are acclaimed for his fresh and personal take on these pillars of the repertoire
We ( Elspeth David and DIane 26th Jan 2025) saw him at the RFH where he stood in for Paul Lewis and played Beethovens 5th piano concerto with the RPO> He was full of expression ( quite the performer) but so obviously enjoyed playing the piece we all loved it. He had 3 rounds of clapping and cheering, then sat down and played Schumannas Arabesque in C major, Op. 18 as an encore. Wonderful We were all delighted.
Li Wang
Age: 51.2
Chinese
Wang Li is a pianist. He began his piano studies under his father, Wang Yanqiao, a composer In China, and was accepted to study at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing at the age of 6. His studies later continued in Japan under Hiroko Edo, and in France at the Conservatoire national superiere de musique in Paris, under Brigitte Engerer. He went on to study in Canada at The Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, where he was a student of James Anagnoson.[1] He currently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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Llyr Williams
Welsh
Welsh born and resident pianist, currently Resident Pianist at Y Galeri concert hall in Caernarfon, Gwynedd
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Quite a late starter comparatively, at 7, but went on to pass all his grades with distinction before he was 12
Famous for: 2005 proms appearance playing Schumann's piano concerto in A minor
Seen at Wigmore Hall in January 2025 playing a selection of Mozart's sonatas
Roman Borisov
Age: 44.5
Russian
After winning first prize at the Krainev Youth Competition 2019 and numerous concerts in the 2019/2020 season, including in Hamburg, Berlin, at the Piano Festival Ruhr, and at the Gstaad Festival, he moved to Berlin after finishing his secondary education. In January 2022, he successfully began his studies at the Hanns Eisler conservatory with Prof. Eldar Nebolsin. Previous engagements have taken him to Nancy with the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Lorraine conducted by Vladimir Kiradjiev; to Reutlingen with the Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Ariane Matiakh, and to Vienna with the ORF Symphony Orchestra conducted by Howard Griffith. He has presented his solo program at the Philharmonie Essen as well as in Bordeaux, Anglet, Zürich and Bad Kissingen.
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Roman Borisov was introduced to legendary piano teacher Mary Lebenzon at the Novosibirsk Conservatory at the early age of four.
Famous for:
Rustem Hayroudinoff
Nationality
BBC Music magazine "equal even to the greatness of Richter"
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Famous for: Performs worldwide. With the world's leading orchestra's, conductors and venues . His CD of the complete Rach Preludes is part of the Classic FM 'Essential Rachmaninov collection'. Other CDs eg Etudes-Tableau praised eg in BBC radio 3 'Building a Library'
Taught masterclasses on Scriabin Chopin Liszt and Rachmaninov at the Oxford piano festival summer 2025 .
Víkingur Ólafsson
Age: 42.0
Icelandic
Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson has often reminded the world of the deep human need for beauty and wonder; in consequence, he has touched countless hearts around the globe.
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Víkingur Ólafsson grew up in Reykjavík and started playing the piano at an early age under the tutelage of his mother, Svana Víkingsdóttir, a piano teacher
Famous for: Ólafsson’s recordings for Deutsche Grammophon have led to almost one billion streams. awarded the Icelandic Export Award, given by the president of Iceland. His flawless technique and virtuosity are the perfect match for Beethoven’s most sublime and grandiose concerto, the Emperor at the Wigmmore Hall in April 2025
Seen at Wigmore Hall where he played Goldburgs variation all in one go and to thunderous applause, after which he spoke about his need to change the concert schedule not once but twice, and about his wife and two children all having flu that prevented him playing his E series - which he will in Oxford in July
