Sir András Schiff

Sir András Schiff is world-renowned as a pianist, conductor, pedagogue and lecturer. Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1953, Sir András studied piano at the Liszt Ferenc Academy with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtág, and Ferenc Rados and in London with George Malcom.

He has played the complete Beethoven sonata series, as well as projects including the complete works of J.S. Bach, Haydn, Schubert and Bartok, which constitute an important part of his work. Having collaborated with the world's leading orchestras and conductors, he now focuses primarily on solo recitals, performances as a conductor, and exclusive conducting projects. His Bach has become an annual highlight at the BBC Proms and he performs regularly at the Verbier, Salzburg and Baden-Baden festivals, as well as at the Wigmore Hall.

Vicenza is home to Cappella Andrea Barca, his own chamber orchestra made up of international soloists, chamber musicians and friends, founded in 1999.

Sir András enjoys a close relationship with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Budapest Festival Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In 2018 he accepted the role of Artist Associate with the OAE, complementing his interest in playing on vintage keyboard instruments.

With a prolific discography, he established an exclusive relationship in 1997 with producer Manfred Eicher and ECM New Series. His most notable recordings include the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas, recorded live from Zurich, solo recitals by Schubert, Schumann and Janáček, as well as the Partitas of J.S. Bach, Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Clavier. His most recent album includes the two Brahms piano concertos, using a Blüthner piano, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (ECM 2021).

In 2017 his book “Music comes from silence”, essays and conversations with Martin Meyer, was published by Bärenreiter and Henschel.

Honors received include the International Mozarteum Foundation Gold Medal (2012), the Grand Cross of Merit with the Star of Germany (2012), the Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal (2013), HM Queen Elizabeth II grants him a Knighthood of the British Empire, for Services to Music (2014) and a Doctorate from the Royal College of Music (2018). He received the Jean Gimbel Lane Award in Piano Performance in 2021 from Northwestern University's Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music. In June 2022, Sir András Schiff receives the Bach Medal from the city of Leipzig, as "one of the greatest Bachian performers of our time".