Sir András Schiff is the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's first Artist in Residence. In the current concert season he dedicates his IPO concert programs to Beethoven, to commemorate the composer's 250th anniversary.
Born in Budapest in 1953, Sir András Schiff studied piano at the Liszt Academy with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtág and Ferenc Rados; and in London with George Malcolm. Having collaborated with the world’s leading orchestras and conductors, he now focuses primarily on solo recitals, play-directing and conducting.
Since 2004 Sir András has performed the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in over twenty cities, including Zurich where the cycle was recorded live for ECM. Other acclaimed recordings for the label include solo recitals of Schubert, Schumann and Janáček, alongside J.S. Bach’s Partitas, Goldberg Variations and Well-Tempered Clavier.
In recent years his Bach has become an annual highlight of the BBC Proms. Elsewhere, he regularly performs at the Verbier, Salzburg and Baden-Baden festivals; the Wigmore Hall, Musikverein and Philharmonie de Paris; on tour in North America and Asia; and in Vicenza, Italy where he curates a festival at the Teatro Olimpico.
Vicenza is also home to Cappella Andrea Barca – a chamber orchestra consisting of international soloists, chamber musicians and friends he founded in 1999. Together they have appeared at Carnegie Hall, Lucerne Festival, Salzburg Mozartwoche and a tour of Asia, while forthcoming projects include a cycle of Bach’s keyboard concertos in Europe.
Sir András also enjoys a close relationship with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Budapest Festival Orchestra and Orchestra of the Age Enlightenment. In 2018 he accepted the role of Associate Artist with the OAE, complementing his interest in performing on period keyboard instruments.
He continues to support new talent, primarily through his “Building Bridges” series which gives performance opportunities to promising young artists. He also teaches at the Barenboim-Said and Kronberg academies and gives frequent lectures and master classes. In 2017 his book “Music Comes from Silence”, essays and conversations with Martin Meyer, was published by Bärenreiter and Henschel.
Sir András Schiff’s many honors include the International Mozarteum Foundation’s Golden Medal (2012), Germany’s Great Cross of Merit with Star (2012), the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Gold Medal (2013), a Knighthood for Services to Music (2014) and a Doctorate from the Royal College of Music (2018).