Pianists we love in London
Welcome to some pianists playing in London this year

Alice Sara Ott
37.09240246406571
German - Japanese
Meanwhile Ott’s pioneering recital tours redefine classical music for the modern era, making her one of the most influential artists of her generation.
Monthly Spotify Listeners =2200000
Alice was born in Munich, Germany, in 1988. Her Japanese mother had studied piano in Tokyo; her father was a German civil engineer
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.
By the age of seven, she had won the Jugend musiziert competition in Germany

Alim Beisembayev
26.529774127310063
Kazakhstan
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Born in Kazakhstan in 1998, Alim’s early studies were at the Purcell School where he won several awards, including First Prize at the Junior Cliburn International Competition. Alim was taught by Tessa Nicholson at school and continued his studies with her at the Royal Academy of Music. In 2023, Alim completed his Masters’ and Artist Diploma in Performance at the Royal College of Music where he studied with Professor Vanessa Latarche. He is generously supported by numerous scholarships such as the Imogen Cooper Music Trust, ABRSM, the Countess of Munster, Hattori Foundation, the Drake Calleja Fund trusts, and belongs to the Talent Unlimited charity scheme.

Andras Schiff
71.70431211498973
Hungary
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Grammy Award, Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal
![In the summer of 2011, he made his debut at the BBC Proms as the youngest-ever soloist on opening night,[8] playing Liszt's Second Piano Concerto, and Britten's Piano Concerto later in the series with the National Youth Orchestra. He has since played at the Proms numerous times, and in 2015 performed at the Last Night of the festival. Judith Weir composed her solo piano work Day Break Shadows Flee for Grosvenor, who gave its world premiere in September 2014.[9] In 2016, he became the inaugural recipient of The Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize with the New York Philharmonic. His 2020 recording of the Chopin Piano Concerti won both a Gramophone award in the Concerto category, and a 'Diapason d'Or de l'année' from the French magazine Diapason with Diapason's critic declaring that the recording is “a version to rank among the best, and confirmation of an extraordinary artist.”](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e516e5_42a483caa8e842d4ba234edaa067376f~mv2.avif/v1/fill/w_265,h_402,al_c,q_80,usm_2.00_1.00_0.00,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.avif)
Benjamin Grosvenor
33.158110882956876
British
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In the summer of 2011, he made his debut at the BBC Proms as the youngest-ever soloist on opening night,[8] playing Liszt's Second Piano Concerto, and Britten's Piano Concerto later in the series with the National Youth Orchestra. He has since played at the Proms numerous times, and in 2015 performed at the Last Night of the festival. Judith Weir composed her solo piano work Day Break Shadows Flee for Grosvenor, who gave its world premiere in September 2014.[9] In 2016, he became the inaugural recipient of The Ronnie and Lawrence Ackman Classical Piano Prize with the New York Philharmonic. His 2020 recording of the Chopin Piano Concerti won both a Gramophone award in the Concerto category, and a 'Diapason d'Or de l'année' from the French magazine Diapason with Diapason's critic declaring that the recording is “a version to rank among the best, and confirmation of an extraordinary artist.”
![As a precocious 13 year old prodigy Boris Giltburg won the 1997 Newport International Piano Competition. [5] In 2002, Giltburg won 2nd prize (the top prize awarded) of the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition in Spain, He won 2nd place at the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and 2 years later he won the prestigous Queen Elisabeth in Brussels.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e516e5_c01559ee3d5846b383e0f1602eacc839~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_265,h_402,al_c,q_80,usm_2.00_1.00_0.00,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.jpg)
Boris Giltburg
41.204654346338124
Israeli from Russia
Monthly Spotify Listeners =800000
After emigrating to Israel, he studied with Arie Vardi between 1995 and 2007 whose influence informed his style and development
He began studying piano with his mother at the age of five, having left Russia aged 3
As a precocious 13 year old prodigy Boris Giltburg won the 1997 Newport International Piano Competition. [5] In 2002, Giltburg won 2nd prize (the top prize awarded) of the Paloma O'Shea Santander International Piano Competition in Spain, He won 2nd place at the 2011 Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition and 2 years later he won the prestigous Queen Elisabeth in Brussels.
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.

Christian Blackshaw
76.62696783025325
British
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His hugely acclaimed Wigmore Hall complete Mozart Piano Sonatas series was recorded for Wigmore Hall Live and released in four volumes. Critics have been unanimous in their praise, describing these “landmark” recordings as “captivating”, “magical” and “masterful”. Volume 4 was named as one of the Best Classical Recordings of 2015 in the New York Times in addition to Gramophone Magazine’s Top 50 Greatest Mozart Recordings.
Dmitry Yudin
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Russian
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Studied for many years under Lydia Grigoryeva in Moscow's Gnessins school of music. Since 2019 has been on a full scholarship at the Manhattan school of music
2023 HMA Foote Award and 3rd prize in the New York Artists competitions and 2nd prize in Wideman Concerto Competition in Louisiana. He has won multiple other prizes in international competitions

Eric Guo
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Glen Gould school concerto competition 2024. 1st prize 2023 Chopin competition on period instruments in Warsaw .5th prize 2025vLong-Thibaud competition Paris .
I meet Eric at the Oxford international piano festival July 2025

Evgeny Kissy
53.90280629705681
Russian
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Technically unassailable, interpretatively distinctive, Evgeny Kissin is one of the world’s most sought-after pianists – among his many awards, Echo Klassik’s Soloist of the Year. The Washington Post wonders if ‘anyone else has the virtuosity to step this far outside the box with such honesty, and dignity, and power’. ‘Kissin’ has a phenomenal technique’, argues BBC Music Magazine, ‘and no inhibitions about displaying it’.

Gabriele Sutkute
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Lithuanian
She plays with beauty and charisma
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RCM graduation Artists Diploma in 2023.
Has won 20 international piano competitions. 1st prize Chappell Medal Piano Competition and 2nd at the 2022 Birmingham International.

Guillem León Vivas
25.35523613963039
Spanish
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Igor Levitt
38.48870636550308
Russian in Berlin
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Imogen Cooper
76.01916495550992
English
Basically one of England's piano gems.
Monthly Spotify Listeners =49000
Awarded DBE IN 2021, she also has the Queen's Medal for Music, the Royal Philharmonic Society's Award 2008

Isata Hannah Mason
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Jinyoung Kweon
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Korean
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Played Shastokovitch piano concerto no. 1 as a student in the master lass at the Oxford piano festival

Kirill Gerstein
45.86721423682409
Russian American
Monthly Spotify Listeners =8500
Gerstein’s world première recording of Thomas Adès’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra with the Boston Symphony conducted by the composer was nominated for three Grammys and received the 2020 Gramophone Award. Other noteworthy Gerstein releases include Strauss’s Enoch Arden with the great Swiss actor, Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire, The Downfall); Tchaikovsky’s complete Piano Concertos (including the 1st Concerto in the composer’s original urtext version) with Semyon Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic; He is the sixth recipient of the Gilmore Artist Award.
Saw him play Shumann Ades coll and Ravel at Wigmore Hall in July 2025 with Bill Tilden

Krystian Zimerman
68.74743326488706
Poland
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International Chopin Piano Competition First Prize

Llyr Williams
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Welsh
Welsh born and resident pianist, currently Resident Pianist at Y Galeri concert hall in Caernarfon, Gwynedd
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Queens College Cambridge, then RAM finishing with it's highest award the Diploma
Quite a late starter comparatively, at 7, but went on to pass all his grades with distinction before he was 12
Seen at Wigmore Hall in January 2025 playing a selection of Mozart's sonatas

Lucas Debargue
34.86652977412731
French
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Won worldwide acclaim as a Laureate of the 2015 International Tchaikovsky Competition.
![A prodigy, Argerich was performing professionally by age eight. three Grammy Awards (1999 and 2005 [best instrumental soloist performance (with orchestra)] and 2004 [best chamber music performance]). In 2005 she received the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale prize for music and the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government. Beginning in 1999 a piano competition in her name was held annually in Buenos Aires, and from 2001 she directed a music festival in her name, also in Buenos Aires. In 2016 she received a Kennedy Center Honor, an American award that celebrates the arts.](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/e516e5_027c5d8e1ada47de8b0fdf27df510b52~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_265,h_402,al_c,q_80,usm_2.00_1.00_0.00,enc_avif,quality_auto/Image-empty-state.jpg)
Martha Argerich
84.24914442162903
Argentina
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A prodigy, Argerich was performing professionally by age eight. three Grammy Awards (1999 and 2005 [best instrumental soloist performance (with orchestra)] and 2004 [best chamber music performance]). In 2005 she received the Japan Art Association’s Praemium Imperiale prize for music and the Order of the Rising Sun from the Japanese government. Beginning in 1999 a piano competition in her name was held annually in Buenos Aires, and from 2001 she directed a music festival in her name, also in Buenos Aires. In 2016 she received a Kennedy Center Honor, an American award that celebrates the arts.

Mishka Rushdie Momen
35.31006160164271
British
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Noah Zhou
24.56399726214921
Chinese
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Noah has been the recipient of a number of awards, notably 2nd Prize at the YPF European Grand Prix (2022), as well as the Royal Philharmonic Society of Great Britain’s Duet Prize for Best Young Instrumentalist (2018). He has also been awarded 1st Prizes at Valsesia Musica International Competition (2021) and the Euregio Piano Award (2021). On top of this, Noah has to his name the titles of Laureate of the Rio International Competition (2022); Horowitz International Competition (2019); Campillos International Competition (2021), and was a finalist at the UK Piano Open (2020); and Manchester International Concerto Competition (2019).