Artists

• Sir András Schiff

  Conductor / Piano

  Sir András Schiff is world-renowned as a pianist, conductor, pedagogue, and lecturer. He brings masterful and intellectual insights to his performances, which have inspired audiences and critics alike. Born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1953, he studied piano at the Liszt Ferenc Academy with Pal Kadosa, György Kurtág, and Ferenc Rados, and in London with George Malcom. He is the New York Philharmonic’s Mary and James G. Wallach Artist-in-Residence for the 2022–23 season.

  Sir András has performed complete cycles of the Beethoven sonatas as well as projects including the complete works of J.S. Bach, Haydn, Schubert, and Bartók, 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, play-conducting appearances, and exclusive conducting projects. This season in North America he performs eight recitals comprising J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations and programs announced from the stage, including one in New York City as one of nine concerts during his New York Philharmonic residency. 

  Vicenza, Italy, is home to Cappella Andrea Barca — Sir András Schiff’s chamber orchestra, founded in 1999 — consisting of international soloists, chamber musicians, and friends. He annually curates a festival in Vicenza at the Teatro Olimpico. He enjoys close relationships with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Budapest Festival Orchestra, and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE). In 2018 he accepted the role of associated artist with the OAE, complementing his interest in performing on period keyboard instruments.

  With a prolific discography, Sir András established an exclusive relationship with producer Manfred Eicher and ECM New Series in 1997. Highlights have included the complete Beethoven piano sonatas, recorded live from Zurich; solo recitals of works by Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Janáček; and J.S. Bach’s partitas, Goldberg Variations, and Well-Tempered Clavier. His most recent discs — a two-CD set of works by J.S. Bach performed on the clavichord — were released in early 2023.

  Sir András Schiff’s many honors include the International Mozarteum Foundation’s Golden Medal, Germany’s Great Cross of Merit with Star, the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal, a Knighthood for Services to Music, and a doctorate from the Royal College of Music. He was awarded the Jean Gimbel Lane Prize in Piano Performance in 2021 from The Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University.

  Learn more about Sir András Schiff