Aaron Pilsan

In his 30's, the Austrian pianist AARON PILSAN (b. 1995) has performed at iconic venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York and the Konzerthaus Vienna, earning widespread acclaim for his Bach recordings, including Gramophone Magazine's Recording of the Year and a BBC Music Magazine Award. He began playing the piano at the age of five. He first studied at the Music School in his hometown of Dornbirn, then at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Hanover. His career took shape under the guidance of renowned mentors such as Sir András Schiff, Lars Vogt, Alfred Brendel, and Daniel Barenboim, who refined his artistry and further deepened his dedication to his craft. He is a laureate of national and international competitions. He won first prizes at the Rotary Jugend-Musikpreis, Prima la Musica, and Grotrian Steinweg youth music competitions in Braunschweig and the Wendl & Jung competition in Vienna. He received the award for best interpretation of Liszt at the Ton und Erklärung competition in Munich. In 2011, he was named Young Artist of the Year by the prestigious magazine Fono Forum. For the 2014-15 season, he was named Rising Star by the European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO), which paved the way for engagements at prestigious concert halls such as the Boulez Hall in Berlin, the Palace of Fine Arts in Brussels, the Barbican Centre in London, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Casa da Música in Porto and Lisbon, Sage Gateshead in Newcastle, Tonhalle in Zurich, Laeisz-Halle in Hamburg, and others. Pilsan has appeared at matinees at the Berlin Philharmonic, and has played at festivals in Verbier, Menuhin in Gstaad, Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, Schleswig-Holstein, the Piano Festival in the Ruhr, and the Mozart Festival in Würzburg. He has performed as a soloist with many renowned orchestras, including the Cologne, Luxembourg, and Paris Philharmonic Orchestras. A dedicated chamber musician, he regularly partners with artists such as cellist Kian Soltani, Isabelle Faust, Sharon Kam, the Szymanowski Quartet, and the Quartetto di Cremona. Although cherished for his interpretations of the classical and early romantic repertoire, his musical sensibilities are well attuned to contemporary music. He regularly collaborates with composers Jörg Widmann and Thomas Larcher and, together with Soltani, performed the world premiere of a piece for cello and piano by Persian composer Reza Vali at the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin. As a dedicated mentor, he supports amateur and aspiring pianists through his Pilsan Academy, encouraging talent and passion for classical music. Deeply inspired by the transformative power of music, he also uses his artistry for humanitarian causes, including efforts to support Ukraine.