Since his victory in the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw in 2005 Rafał Blechacz has since established himself firmly on the international concert scene and is recognised as his generation’s greatest performer of Chopin’s works. The Polish pianist is celebrated by both the audience and the press worldwide for his profound and virtuosic interpretations. Furthermore, he is the winner of the prestigious Gilmore Artist Award in 2014 – an award given every four years to a distinguished, extraordinary concert pianist regardless of age or nationality.

Blechacz has performed with renowned orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, ORF Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien, Camerata Salzburg, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra dell' Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Minnesota Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal. He gives recitals in the world’s major concert halls including Philharmonie Berlin, Prinzregententheater Munich, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Wigmore Hall London, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Teatro alla Scala Milan, Wiener Konzerthaus and BOZAR – Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, as well as further afield in the USA and in Asia.

Rafał Blechacz will start his season 2023/2024 with a performance with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Kent Nagano in Bad Kissingen. After that, his season is filled with many highlights, including recitals in Vienna and Cambridge and tours in Japan and the United States.

Blechacz is an exclusive recording artist of Deutsche Grammophon. His debut recording of Chopin´s Préludes won the Platinum Record status in his native Poland, as well as a German ECHO Klassik and French Diapason d’Or award. His recording of both Chopin concerti with the Concertgebouworkest under the baton of Jerzy Semkow was awarded the ‘Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik’. In 2012, his recording of works by Debussy and Szymanowski was released and awarded ‘Recording of the Month’ by the Gramophone magazine and ‘Solo Recording of the Year’ by ECHO Klassik. Further albums with polonaises by Chopin or works by Bach as well as his duo album with the violinist Bomsori have delighted listeners and the press alike in recent years. Blechacz´s latest recording was released in March 2023. With works by Frédéric Chopin, he once again dedicated this recording to the composer who shaped his career like no other.

Born in 1985, Blechacz began his studies aged five, continuing his piano education in the Arthur Rubinstein State School of Music in Bydgoszcz. In 2007, he graduated from the Feliks Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz, the piano class of Professor Katarzyna Popowa-Zydroń. In 2016, Rafał Blechacz received his doctorate in music philosophy.

SEASON 2023/2024