Connie Shih – Klavier

The Canadian pianist Connie Shih is repeatedly described as an exceptional artist. Born in Vancouver, she began playing the piano at the age of five as the youngest of three talented sisters. At the age of nine, she made her orchestral debut playing Mendelssohn's First Piano Concerto with the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. At the age of 12, she was the youngest student of György Sebök and later continued her studies at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia with Claude Frank, a student of Arthur Schnabel, and with Fou Ts'ong in Europe.

In 1993, Connie Shih was awarded the Sylva Gelber Prize for the most outstanding classical artist under the age of 30. In addition to international appearances as a soloist with orchestra, she has given numerous concerts in Canada, the United States, Iceland, England, Spain, Italy, Germany, Japan and China.

As a celebrated chamber music partner, Shih has worked with artists such as Steven Isserlis, Maxim Vengerov, Isabelle Faust, Joshua Bell, Sir Simon Keenlyside and Tabea Zimmermann and has performed at Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Bath Music Festival as well as at the festivals of Aldeburgh, Cheltenham, Weill Hall (New York), Verbier, Lucerne and Kronberg. With her duo partner, cellist Steven Isserlis, she regularly performs worldwide to critical acclaim.
In the 2023/24 season, they will tour Asia, America and Europe as well as a five-day concert series dedicated to Gabriel Faure at Wigmore Hall with Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk, Irène Duval and Blythe Teh- Engstroem . With Steven Isserlis she has recorded the critically acclaimed CDs “A Golden Cello Decade” (2022) Shortlisted for a Gramophone Award “Music from Proust's Salon” (2021) and “The Cello in Wartime” (2017) as well as the first recording of Carl Reinecke's sonatas for piano and cello and the Beethoven sonatas with cellist Manuel Fischer-Dieskau. The release of a new CD with Steven Isserlis is planned for next year.Connie's performances are frequently broadcast on television and radio by CBC (Canada), BBC (UK), SWR, NDR and WDR (Germany) as well as various other television and radio stations in North America, Asia and Europe.

Connie has taught at the Hochschule für Musik Mainz and the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg. Since 2022 she has been Professor of Piano and Piano Chamber Music at the Mozarteum Salzburg. She also gives masterclasses at music institutes around the world, at the Casalmaggiore International Festival in Italy and at the Musiktage am Rhein. She is a teacher at the Mozarteum Summer Academy.

Concert on Sun 4.8