Sir András Schiff

Born in Budapest in 1953, András Schiff studied with Pál Kadosa, György Kurtág, and Ferenc Rados at the Franz Liszt Academy in his hometown and with George Malcolm in London. His artistic work centers on the piano music of Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Brahms, and Bartók. He often chooses his recital programs spontaneously, introducing the works to the audience himself. He generally performs piano concertos while conducting the orchestra himself. To this end, he founded the Cappella Andrea Barca in 1999. After more than a quarter-century of making music together, the ensemble gave its farewell concert at the “Omaggio a Palladio” festival in Vicenza in May 2026. Schiff also works closely with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and is an Associate Artist of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Chamber music has been a passion of his since his youth. He directed the Musiktage Mondsee from 1989 to 1998 and the Ittingen Whitsun Concerts from 1995 to 2013, the latter jointly with Heinz Holliger. He is particularly committed to supporting young musicians: he teaches at the Kronberg Academy and the Barenboim-Said Academy and mentors emerging pianists through his “Building Bridges” program. His book Music Comes out of Silence: A Memoir, which originally appeared in German in 2017, explores his artistic convictions and experiences. Many of his recordings have received international awards. Sir András Schiff holds several honorary doctorates. His recent honors include the Antonín Dvořák Prize (2021), the Bach Medal of the City of Leipzig (2022), the Salzburg Festival Pin with Rubies (2023), the Bösendorfer Ring (2024), and the Praemium Imperiale (2025), known as the “Nobel Prize of the Arts.” After giving no concerts in his native Hungary for 15 years because of alarming political developments, Schiff returned to the concert stage in Budapest in September 2026, following the change in government leadership.

Lucerne Festival (IMF) debut in a recital on 21 August 1990 including works by Janáček, Bartók, Schubert, and Haydn; last appearance here was on 31 August 2025 in a program of fantasies and sonatas by Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Schumann.

September 2026